Saviour
by AriellaTularyn
Summary: She was dim, she had nothing to live for, no one to trust and no hope for freedom until one day, someone rekindles her light and makes her discover the reasons to protect it at all cost. AU
1. Chapter 1: New Addition

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing obviously._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 1.**

* * *

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for Amethyst, that was true of everyone she met.

Peoples eyes held her gaze for a split second longer than others, as their brains registered surprise, strangers gazed at her when they thought she was unaware, she was popular without even trying.

She was always quite the beauty, seeing her up close only reinforced that truth, she had a well-endowed chest, a slim waist and curved hips that lead to long legs that gave her the perfectly proportioned body.

She was of a caramel complexion that paired beautifully with her long lustrous pale blonde, molten gold hair that always seemed to gleam when hit by the right angle of light, She had the most captivating pair of baby blue lilac eyes, framed by long gorgeous lashes, her cheeks littered with a few freckles that almost went unnoticed and flawlessly sculpted plump rosy lips, as if crafted by angels themselves and teeth so beautiful it was like the stars themselves, decided to rest behind the soft cushion of her lips, All these features set together on a delicate almost, angelic face.

As she grew and matured into her enviable body and looks she automatically became more and more popular, a popular _target,_ a popular plaything, a _toy._

She can't remember a day where she wasn't in a cell, which as much as it sounds like it, is not an exaggeration.

She was a slave to the Celestial Dragons, born into it and has been for the past seventeen years of her life, she wasn't like most of the slaves though, she was given some things that others weren't. She didn't have to be branded, though held no correlation to the scars she still obtained both internally and externally. She received a separate cell room for herself though not that great of a 'gift', new clothes and controlled shower times but she would give them back, just to be done with the extra torture, the extra _use_ of her body that she got for it.

There was one time she did escape, but that only lasted for a month, _an amazing month,_ she was seven years old and discovered that she had powers that were beyond comprehension to which she used to her advantage to escape before she was re-captured, they put sea stone cuffs on her but for some reason did nothing to neutralise or weaken her in any way, so why did she not just escape again? She definitely had the ability to do so, but she didn't because of the consequences she faced or more so the consequences her disobedience put others through, she did anything wrong and they would torture and kill innocent people to put her in line, so she never tried to escape again.

When she turned nine she was introduced to a new kind of torture to which she finally broke in more ways than one and she gave up on everything, happiness, compassion, hope, her will to live and she became empty, void of any emotion but pain, distrust, anger, hate and hopelessness, all she had to keep her company were her powers that she practised and played around with when she wasn't _occupied,_ she got a hang of them quite quickly and by the age of thirteen she had discovered most of her powers and honed her skills with each new discovery but never did them in front of anyone, in fear of risking another life.

By the time she turned sixteen everything in her crashed to an all-time low and she stopped using her powers, not seeing the use in it anymore... she was broken.

* * *

As Amethyst was thrown back in her cell she crawled back to her spot she always resided, in the corner of the cell as per usual, grabbing the tattered hoody waiting for her and putting it on, lifting the hood onto her head, hoping the fabric would hide her from the world, gathering her legs up against her chest secured by her thin arms, forehead leaning on her knees and waited for sleep to take over.

She was feeling disgusting, a feeling she was far too familiar with, even though she was showered and dressed in no doubt a very expensive white dress underneath her hoodie, sleeveless to be more accurate, easier to take off that way they would say to her.

She felt dirty, a sort of grotesque grime that wouldn't wash off, one that would stick to her like a second skin, like a second _soul_.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the door to her room being thrown open, she looked up from under her hood and glared at the unrecognisable figure... _figures,_ disturbing her sleep.

Her cell door was opened and the second figure was thrown in quite roughly, they were cuffed. 'Must be a devil fruit user' She thought to herself, examining them cautiously, noticing straight away that they were also shirtless, furrowing her eyebrows at the revelation, 'A man? shouldn't he be in the men's cell quarters? why is he in here with me? must be a shortage of space.'

"No funny business," The guard remarked mockingly... after closing, locking and making sure the cell door was secure... 'Coward.' she thought snidely, they were always loud when they weren't in harm's way.

"Fuck off," The shirtless man hissed venomously at him.

The guard went to snap back but Amethyst glared up at him and he seemed to get the picture, finally leaving but not before gathering the remains of courage that he had and spitting on her, almost shitting himself and hauling ass when she growled at him, locking the room door as he got out of the lions den.

"What a coward, what's your name?" The new-comer asked politely.

She wiped the spit off her face, looking up at the man and glared at him before going back to her usual position but instead resting her chin on her knees so that she could keep an eye on the new addition to her cell.

"Can you speak?"

She continued to glare at him, not answering.

"Okay, well I'm Ace, Portgas D. Ace."

'A pirate? and a division commander of the Whitebeard pirates, that's... interesting' Despite her slightly piqued interest her face remained unchanging but she decided to give him something to work with, just because it's been a while since she has actually talked to... anyone.

 **'Amethyst'**

Ace was startled by the sudden voice in his head and started looking around for anyone hiding in the shadows but saw no one, he looked back at the hooded figure, surprise clear on his face as he drew his own conclusion.

"How'd you do that?"

No answer.

"Do you have a devil fruit ability?"

No answer.

"What? Can't you do it again? why aren't you answering?"

She let out a huff of irritation. **"I don't know you, stop digging so much."**

He held his hands up in defence. "Okay, so no questions that are too personal. So, Amethyst... that's your name, right?" He prodded lightly, not wanting to push her too much after the less than open response.

 **'No, I just like saying gem names out loud.'**

He ignored the sarcastic remark and started to scooch closer to her, making her glare harder. **'Don't.'**

He stopped moving and huffed in slight annoyance at the obvious distrust she had for him. "You know, it might be a bit more enjoyable in here if you weren't so guarded, I mean I'm not one of the Celestials and I'm not a guard... who better to trust than a fellow prisoner?"

She scoffed at that, what did he know? Nothing apparently, as far as she knew. **'Easy for someone who just got here to say'**

"True, but judging by the dress, you can't have been here much longer..." He replied, sizing her up as his eyes dragged over her. "By the way is this your real voice, cause no offence it sounds pretty weird."

 **'No, it isn't my real voice'**

"So you're hiding your voice as well as your face and basic information."

 **'Clearly'**

"Bit paranoid wouldn't you say?" He commented, eyebrow-raising at the offending glare directed at him. "You still haven't answered my question, how long have you been here? or is it another one of your secrets that you won't reveal?"

 **'I was born a slave, so yes I'm 'paranoid' I don't really take to... people, in general, I'm surprised that I'm even mind-linking with you.'**

Ace's eyes widened, a look of horror sprawled across his face before dissipating into a look of pity.

 **'I don't need pity... it's whatever."** She rolled her eyes, not wanting to stay on the subject any longer. **"How'd you get in here anyway? I thought Whitebeard pirates were supposed to be strong.'**

He snapped out of his pity at that and smirked, seeing her glare drop and feeling pride swell in his chest at the mention of his treasured family name.

"So you've heard about us." He scratched the back of his neck sheepish as he continued. "We are strong, but we still have our weaknesses, mine happens to be narcolepsy, so I wasn't exactly expecting to be cuffed in my sleep."

 **'A pirate with narcolepsy? that's unfortunate/'**

His eye twitched in annoyance at the mocking tone of her 'voice'

 **'What's it like having fire powers?'**

He chuckled a bit at her interest that didn't sound too interested like she was just trying to waste time.

"It's challenging to control," he admitted, shrugging a bit in response.

 **'I bet, seems to suit you though, you seem pretty untamed.'**

His eyebrows furrowed at the sudden description, not expecting it from someone like her who didn't seem all too fond of sharing her thoughts. "Well, most pirates are."

 **'Yeah, but you have something in your eyes, it's different'**

"...Whatever you say" His stomach started to rumble, that comedically echoed in the room.

 **'You can eat all of that if you want'**

He looked at the plate she was indicating towards, two bread rolls, an apple and a cup of water. "You sure? what about you?"

 **'I already ate before I got here.'** She lied. 'No reason to be completely honest with this guy.'

And just like that, the food was gone in a blink of an eye.

 **'What the fuck?'**

Completely ignoring the comment, he grinned at her. "Thanks, but wait, what do you mean by 'before I got here'?"

 **'What? you think slaves just stay in the cells? that's just a common prisoner.'**

"Right, what exactly do you do when you leave?"

Amethysts glare returned.

"Okay, okay, I won't ask again"

Ace stared at the hooded girl, trying to figure her out but saw nothing but her shadowed, guarded and hateful expression through the darkness of the room.

 **'I can uncuff you, so you can escape.'** She said, cutting through the silence that the room was settling into.

"How?"

He watched as she reached out her hand and clicked her fingers, a clank of stone meeting the impact of the ground was heard and suddenly he felt a warmth spread through his body, the suppressed fire just waiting beneath his skin but unable to break through, finally free and he visibly relaxed, sighing in relief.

"I know I can't ask, but you interest me more and more, the longer I stay here"

She ignored the comment and clicked again, the cell door opening. **'You're free to go.'**

He grinned and jumped up immediately and walked through but turned to her as he stood in front of the room door, confusion flooding his features as he watched her unmoving figure. "Aren't you coming?"

She sagged in indifference.

 **'Can't,'** She said, not elaborating on it. She leaned her forehead on her knees so that her face didn't show how visibly upset and angry she was, she tensed at hearing him move back in the cell but never lifted her head.

"If you could do all that, why haven't you left?"

No answer.

"Knowing them, they have some kind of leverage against you?"

 **'...Yeah, you could say that'**

"Maybe I can help, what is it?"

 **'You can't'**

"Well we won't know until you tell me now, will we? I have no problem staying here longer just to annoy you"

She rolled her eyes and looked back up from under her hood, to see him in the same spot as before.

 **'They said if I were to do anything to go against them they would kill and torture the other slaves... they... they killed my mom. I never met her, just had a picture... I was separated from her when I was born but they killed her in front of me... and countless others... children, men, women... because I escaped before... so I gave up'**

She hid her face again, she's never said so much to a person, let alone a complete stranger but she wasn't going to see him again, so what did it matter? she tried convincing herself it was just because of that but she knew better.

She cringed, scrunching her face up, afraid for the first time of someone, not because she thought he was going to hurt her, but because of the judgement. He was going to think she was some coward or a monster, someone who let all those people be killed because she was weak and naive and thought only of herself, someone wh-

"I know what you're thinking, you're not a monster."

Her head shot up in surprise, she looked at him and half expected a look of disappointment or even disgust but saw nothing but understanding. "I'm a monster, I also know one when I see one but _you_ are not one."

She kept her face calm but on the inside, she felt something she hasn't felt in a long time a blissful feeling, someone actually understands and doesn't judge her. **'I could say the same about you.'**

She saw him smirk a bit.

"You probably wouldn't say that if you knew who my biological father was"

It was her turn to be confused as she tilted her head, eyebrow shooting up in question. **'Why would whoever your father is, determine who you are as a person?'**

Ace gave her a scrutinising look, looking as if he was going to say something to bite back at the comment but refrained from doing so.

"OI! Ace! you still alive in there?" A voice boomed from the other side of the door.

Amethyst jerked in surprise and looked at Ace in confusion. **'Who's that?'**

He smirked. "A friend. Come on Marco! you know no one can hold me down"

 **'Says the guy in a cell.'**

Ace glared at her in annoyance making her glare back defiantly, he got up and walked to the room door, looking through the small barred window, Amethyst clicked her fingers again and the room door opened and she saw another guy with a blond mop of hair, an open purple jacket and a tattoo on his chest.

'Marco the Phoenix, another Whitebeard pirate.' She thought to herself.

"Wait, so the door was open? and you don't have cuffs on, why didn't you just escape yourself, moron?"

"I was in the middle of a conversation with someone," Ace said nudging his head towards Amethyst.

Marco looked behind Ace at the hooded figure and saw their eyes, glaring at him venomously. 'They're like...' He looked back at Ace and they exchanged looks of understanding, conversing silently with their eyes.

 **'Are you lovebirds gonna keep eye-raping each other or leave?'**

Ace rolled his eyes and turned to her. "Shut up."

 **'Fuck you'**

"She didn't say anything, you going crazy?"

Ace sighed, heavily annoyed at both people in his presence.

"Can we just go?"

"Yeah, I've released all the slaves and got our people back, Izo and Thatch are holding the marines off, we need to go now though."

Amethyst went back to her position, looking down at her knees and waited for them to leave when she felt a hand grip her arm, flinching back at the contact, she didn't have to look to see who it was.

"Let's go, I'm not leaving without you"

She started to shake in anger, pulling her arm away from him. **'Did you not hear what I said before?'**

"Yes, I did, but they can't hurt anyone here if they're all escaping as well, can they?"

She refused to move, she knew he was right, but after everything she's been through, she didn't want to dare think that maybe this was her chance. Is she finally able to leave... to be free? She shook her head, still staring at the ground, refusing to feel hope just for it to crash down again.

He sighed in frustration, grabbed her arm again and lifted her up, putting her on his back in a piggyback position despite her thrashing around in clear protest. "Sometimes you have to live for yourself and through the risks, otherwise what's the point?"

She went to continue to fight him off but slumped at the statement, pulling the hood down more and hiding her face in his back.

"You know I think you've been here too long, you keep talking to yourself," Marco mused, oblivious to what was going on exactly.

Suddenly someone came running towards them making Amethyst tense more than she already was.

"Hey, guys! Pops is waiting... wait... what's up with the girl? Is she your new pet Ace? You keeping her?"

Her eyes widened in alarm but before she could react Ace spoke up, glaring coldly at him. "Shut up Thatch, don't say shit like that, you moron"

"...Oh! I didn't m-mean it like that."

Marco sighed. "Let's go already, you're taking responsibility for the girl"

"Whatever."

Amethyst didn't know how to react to all of this, there was so much going on that she couldn't wrap her head around, she felt her heart beating hard against her chest, she felt anxious for what was happening, never had she thought she would escape again, especially not with the help of someone else, a stranger no less and before she could over think further, she felt her eyelids getting heavier, despite her best efforts to keep them open.

"You'll be fine, don't worry."

She didn't hear who said that probably Ace, for the first time in a long time she felt calm, listening to the sound of his heartbeat and feeling the warmth of his skin, for once not worrying about the outcome of others and for the first time in her seventeen years of life she spoke, it was whispered, raspy, barely holding against the breeze that hit her face that she doubted anyone heard it and then she drifted into sleep.

". _..thank you_ "


	2. Chapter 2: Power

**_Disclaimer: Yeah, things would be muuuuuch different if I owned One Piece. But I don't._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 2.**

* * *

Voices echoed throughout the room.

"-rprised she can move without so much as a groan in pain, look at all these bruises, scratches and cuts, they're all fresh and that's only what we can see with this dress on. She was hiding them pretty well with that hoodie of hers. I can't even imagine the damage underneath the dress, I mean look at the severity of tha- IF ALL YOU'RE GOING TO DO IS STARE AT HER GET OUT!"

'What is with all the noise?' Amethyst woke up but didn't open her eyes, moving on her side, trying to get away from the sudden noise that disturbed her slumber, clutching the soft pillow under her head, feeling comfort take over her as she lay on the cushiony mattress she felt moulding comfortably to her body.

"Seems like she's getting comfortable... CLOSE YOUR MOUTH AND GET OUT ALREADY THATCH!"

"He told me to keep an eye on her, it's not my fault that she looks like _that_ underneath the hoodie!" Thatch said pointing accusingly at the girl on the bed as he emphasised the word 'that' then holding his hands up in defence as if his actions were justified.

Amethyst's eyes shot open finally registering the unfamiliar voices and environment, she automatically went into defensive mode, shooting up on the bed and looking at the two people standing in front of her, A woman with a white jacket on and a man with a very loud hairstyle but both undoubtedly screaming 'stranger'.

With startled looks on their faces at her sudden movements, they both stood very still.

The female was the first to shake the shock and moved towards her to try and calm her down.

Amethyst growled, halting the woman's movements. She closed her eyes and when she reopened them they had turned stark white, no pupil, just endless whiteness, she made a harsh movement with her arm, an invisible pulse suddenly throwing the two figures violently across the room into the wall. She stood up, taking in the environment, scanning for an exit.

Thatch looked to his side seeing the woman he was arguing with was unconscious. He cursed under his breath, body aching in pain. He looked back to Amethyst who was grabbing her discarded hoodie off the table next to the bed and looked back at him with a cold glare that made him stop his movement to get up, her eyes turned back to normal and she clicked her fingers.

Thatch's eyes widened as he looked at the empty space in front of him that was clearly just occupied by the girl not even a second ago.

"What the- where'd she go?!"

* * *

Amethyst saw the guy look at her and glared back, warning him to not move, she clicked her fingers activating another one of her abilities and turned invisible, her heart was going a hundred miles an hour, her body was protesting at her further movements. She went through the open exit of the room and peeked around, hearing a commotion and hissed under her breath 'I was reckless, they heard me.'

She closed her eyes again a look of concentration on her face.

'Okay, so if I keep going left and straight through, the exit should be there.'

She opened her eyes and ran in the direction she had navigated in her mind, eyes burning as the pain was numbing her limbs and clouding her mind, everything in her telling her to stop moving. Suddenly she rammed into a body, catching her off guard and momentarily her invisibility faltered, she looked up and saw Ace looking at her. The sudden appearing figure out of thin air shocking him, he sucked in a breath when he looked at her face for the first time without the hoodie hiding and casting a shadow on most of it. The small relief she felt was short-lived as she saw his new facial expression, her mind registering it as a look that she was familiar with from all the wrong people.

She clicked her fingers, turning invisible again and ran quickly past him, taking advantage of his confused and dazed state.

Ace snapped out of it. "WAIT, AMETHYST!" He cursed as he saw her disappear through the exit and ran after her. 'Dammit, she's fast! I shouldn't have left her, what an idiot!' He thought, scolding himself.

* * *

Amethyst ran through the exit and kept running, she only stopped when she realised she was in the middle of an unfamiliar area. She was in the middle of a deck, on a ship, in the middle of the ocean. She looked around jerkily, trying to see an escape... freedom from the unfamiliar environment choking her and leaving her feeling helpless, but she didn't see any sign of land whatsoever.

Panic was rising up in her throat, only now fully aware of the people all around, there were too many people, they were all looking at her with expressions that she couldn't read as her mind was starting to go blank, panic and pain were the only things she was aware of as she started to shut down. She was hyperventilating and tears were flowing down her face.

She heard multiple clicks and her head snapped around, quickly taking in the multiple guns and weapons pointed at her or being reached for, her guard instantly went up, panic settling, pain turning dull and she stuck her arms out, raising them from her sides, all emotion gone from her face.

Then all she saw was red.

* * *

The sight that Ace saw when he finally got to the deck was shocking, to say the least.

Thatch and Marco who were both right behind him, stopping and standing on both sides of Ace.

"Ace, your- Holy shit."

The air around them was full of weapons, guns, bullets that had been fired into the air, knives, swords, all just floating in midair but that wasn't all. Everyone who were on the deck were also in midair, clutching at their throats as if they were trying desperately to breathe, some having blood dripping at a steady pace out of their mouths. In the middle of all the chaos was Amethyst.

Her arms raised high, no doubt indicating that she was causing the scene in front of them, her eyes were blood red, her face was void of any emotion but it looked like something was taking a toll on her as her nose started to bleed, arms shaking but not looking anywhere near to dropping her attack.

Ace quickly went into action, running to Amethyst who was too occupied to notice him. He ran in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Amethyst, I need you to calm down. They're my crew, you're hurting them. They aren't going to harm you, I promise."

"They tried to kill me, they pointed their weapons at me." Her voice sent a chill down his spine but it was far from pleasant, it was so void of any emotion that it struck a chord of alarm in his chest.

"They were scared, they didn't know who you were! they were just trying to defend themselves. I promise you Amethyst that if you just put them down they will not hurt you, you're killing them! Please!"

He saw her take in his words and bite her lip, there was obvious conflict in her features, whether to trust him or not, her eyes started to water and he frowned 'the things she must've gone through to be so wary of people. He watched as her eyes started to turn back to normal and she placed everything down gently, her arms falling lifelessly to her sides, eyes looking towards the ground.

People all around collapsed and started gasping for air and coughing, they felt like they were being lifted up by their necks, choking. They could finally take in some air into their oxygen-deprived lungs.

Before Ace could register what was happening, the sound of a trigger being pulled was heard and before he could tell them to stop, a bullet made a bee-line straight for Amethyst.

Amethyst sensed it and easily could've stopped it but didn't, she closed her eyes and waited for it to hit when she felt something quickly move in front of her, she opened her eyes and saw Ace's tattooed back, she quickly clicked her fingers and heard the bullet drop, making an impact with wood.

"Izo stop, she was just scared, she won't do it again."

"She almost killed a third of our crew Ace, including Pops. She can't live." Ace's eyes glanced at the large man known as Whitebeard, Pops to those in his crew, sitting back on his chair with a line of blood on his chin, being treated by doctors that were quickly trying to hook him back on all the machines that he was usually attached to.

Ace quickly turned back to Izo, narrowing his eyes, glaring at him in defiance. "How would you feel in her position? She knows no one and is thrown into an unfamiliar environment, she's been through hell and back as a slave and doesn't trust anyone because of the shit she's been through and then a bunch of strangers point weapons at her as she's already panicking. How would you react in her position?"

Amethyst felt shocked as he stood, defending her both physically and verbally 'He really did seem to understand her.'

Izo felt something shift in his defence and dropped his glare that was pointed at the girl and lowered his gun, he knew that Ace was right.

Amethyst made up her mind, took a deep breath and kneeled on the ground, putting both hands on the deck floor, closing her eyes and opening them to reveal them as white again.

"H-hey, her eyes were like that when she threw me and April across the room!"

Amethyst ignored the protest and concentrated on what she was doing, an arm grabbed her. "What are you doing?"

 **'Trust me.'**

Ace was squatting beside her and held her arm a little longer but then let go, deciding to trust his instincts. He watched in wonder as a golden light came out of her hands, spreading across the deck like the ocean on a sandy shore, the light spread all across the large deck leaving it shining, looking like it was made of pure light. Suddenly all the people that had been lifted into the air started gasping again except this time not in pain, scrapes, blood, forming bruises, all disappearing and leaving no trace that they were even there in the first place until everyone, who had been objected to her power, were all healed.

Ace forced his eyes away from the sight and turned back to Amethyst to voice his questions when he saw her nose starting to bleed again but also blood started to come out of her mouth and ears, her eyes also rimmed with 'tears' of blood that stood out against the white. He quickly grabbed her arms, trying to pull them away from the deck "Amethyst that's enough, they're okay now!"

She didn't respond.

Ace used all his strength and forced her hands off the deck, the golden light disappearing instantly but thankfully didn't take away the healing of the people on deck.

Amethyst's eyes returned to their pale mix of blue and lilac and she looked around trying to gather her disoriented mind and saw that everyone seemed to be healed and she slumped, letting out a shaky breath of relief. She crossed her arms over her stomach, hugging herself to try and calm her still panicking mind and looked up at Ace, seeing the concern in his eyes.

 **'I'm fine, stop looking at me like I'm gonna drop dead.'**

He let out a chuckle at the snarky comment. "Says the girl with blood coming out of everywhere"

She rolled her eyes at the not-so-subtle dig and made a move to get up, Ace grabbed her arm to help her out and frowned when she flinched, but it soon disappeared when she didn't make a move to pull away 'we're making progress.'

 **"Stop looking like that and drawing your own conclusions."**

He stared at her in confusion. "What?"

 **"Your stupid face is screaming victory... don't get the wrong idea, I'm letting you help me because I can't."**

"Ah," He grinned not so subtly. "So you caught me."

Amethyst rolled her eyes moving her arm gently out of his grip once she was back on her feet.

Everybody was in shock at the pure power this girl had, all thinking 'What kind of devil fruit is that?' Marco was the first to move towards the girl, wanting immediate answers. Ace stepped in front of the girl, a protective instinct taking over him, he recognized that look, Marco was curious to the point of being insensitive and Ace, having known the girl for the little amount of time that he did, he knew it wouldn't go down well with her.

Marco rolled his eyes at him "I'm not going to hurt your littl- ACE! THE GIRL!"

Ace whipped his body around to see Amethyst's eyes had rolled backwards and her body starting to fall towards the ground before she made an impact with the ground, he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her up and feeling her slump, falling limp against his body.


	3. Chapter 3: Scars

**_Disclaimer: Maybe in my dreams I own it, but in reality, yeah, still no._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 3.**

* * *

Amethyst woke up a second time but this time she didn't freak out, she opened her eyes and sat up, she did, however, move all the way to the corner of the bed and leaned her back on the wall her bed was against, pulling herself back in the position she used to when she was in her cell.

She looked and saw the lady she had thrown into the wall standing by her bed, looking at her very warily. "You aren't going to do that thing again, are you? Cause even though you somehow healed me, I don't feel like feeling it again," She said in all seriousness.

Amethyst shook her head but keep a blank look on her face, looking around a bit.

"Ace is talking to Pops, he'll be back soon though"

Amethyst's head turned back to the lady and nodded a bit before resting her chin back on her knees that she was holding against her chest and staring at the lady, waiting for her to talk again.

"Okay, Well, my name is April, I'm one of the Ship's doctors. I need to do an examination on you. I've checked out some of your bruises and scrapes that I was able to with your clothes on but I need to make a full examination to be able to know the exact condition of your body so that I can know where and how to start the healing process. Okay?"

Amethyst glared at the lady, not trusting her, she's had enough experience with 'doctors' who have said the same only to take advantage of her when her guard was down. Amethyst inwardly cringed at the memory, her heart racing faster and glared harder, a scowl marring her face and if looks could kill that would be a heart stopper.

April's eyes widened in confusion, not expecting such a look, 'what did I say?'

Thatch walked in the room, speaking loudly, making the two people look at him, both glaring for different reasons. "You know I think I deserve an apology when she wakes up," He said, not sensing the atmosphere in the room or the already awake girl until it was too late. "Whoa, I walked in at the wrong time... you aren't going to do that thing again are you?" He asked as the confidence he walked in with, disappeared instantly.

Amethyst rolled her eyes and was about to turn her glare back to the woman when she saw Ace push past Thatch and walk in the room, relief flooding into his tight expression as his eyes landed on her.

"Good, so you aren't covered in blood anymore and you didn't throw anyone around this time, I was worried," he said, the corner of his mouth quirking up in amusement.

 **'Shut up, moron'** She said, annoyance dripping from her 'voice' only then realising that she was cleaned up while she was asleep.

He grinned at her and walked to the bed she was huddled on, sitting on the end of it, making sure not to be too close and looked at April. "So, what's up?"

"I need to do an examination to check the condition of her body and see what I can do to help her heal, but she won't let me"

Amethyst glared down at the mattress in front of her, feeling like she was being scolded. She felt the bed dip right next to her and looked up seeing Ace sitting right next to her, a look of determination on his face. He reached out and she scrunched her eyes tightly closed and gripped the sheet of the mattress in an iron hold, expecting a punishment for not listening to the lady, but instead she felt his hand gently touch hers and unfold it from its death grip, holding it in his and her eyes shot open, looking at their hands.

"I'm not going to hurt you, neither is April, she just wants to make sure you're okay"

Amethyst looked him in the eye then back at his hand, holding her smaller one, then she looked forward, staring at nothing, a look of emptiness flashed in her eyes as she leaned her chin on one of her knees against her chest. **'You know... I've heard many _doctors_ say that before and you know what they did?'**

Ace felt dread clawing in his chest, thinking they left her to heal on her own in pain or beat her till she was black and blue and barely conscious or brutally torturing her.

 **'They raped me'**

Ace's eyes widened, sucking in a breath, his eyes then narrowing in anger, he let go of her hand just so that he didn't accidentally hurt her just from being so pissed off at the thought of someone so despicable doing that to her. Now it was his turn to grip the sheets, his knuckles turning white.

"Ace! you're burning the sheet!" April yelled, making everyone in the room look at him.

Ace ignored her but calmed down a bit, the anger never left, still spreading through him and he grabbed Amethyst by the shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes.

"I promise, I won't ever let that happen again. April is not that type of doctor she really wants to help you, if you can't trust her, trust that she isn't like those fuckers.

I swear to you on the pride of my crew that, that will NEVER happen again, I will make sure of it till the day I die and even then so help me I will roast them from the grave!"

Everyone in the room was in shock at his outburst but no one as shocked as the girl he was looking intensely in the eyes, she looked calm almost bored on the outside but on the inside was a whole different situation, she's never seen someone so determined and no less because he wanted to protect her, she saw how he had protected her before but for him to say it so directly and with such intensity shocked her to the core.

 **'Okay, whatever you say, just calm down and stop looking at me like that'** She said, trying to make that look on his face disappear.

He visibly relaxed and let go of her.

"You know, I think Marco is right about you going crazy, you do talk to yourself," Thatch said, breaking the tense mood in the room.

Ace rolled his eyes and glared at Amethyst, seeing the amusement in her eyes, thinking it was funny how they thought he was talking to himself.

"You can start the examination," Ace said, now looking at April who snapped out of her shock and confusion from what just happened.

"What?" She looked at Amethyst who just gave her a nod, a small glare still on her face.

April quickly picked up a pen and paper and held it in front of Amethyst who grabbed it, analyzing it.

"I need you to fill that out first before we start, it's just a basic information form"

Amethyst nodded and started reading and filling out what she could, eyes furrowing slightly now and then. Shortly after, she had finished and she gave it back.

April looked at it and was surprised to find that she had only filled out her first name and instead of a birth date she just put '17'

"Do you not know your last name?"

Amethyst shook her head, not exactly knowing that she was supposed to have another name.

"You don't know your birthday?"

She shook her head again.

"Parents?"

Another shake of her head.

The temperature in the room rose and Amethyst turned to see Ace getting visibly angrier the longer the 'conversation' went on.

"Ace if you're going to get mad every five seconds just leave, you keep burning my damn sheets," April said in an exasperated tone, he calmed down and looked at the ground guiltily.

 **'Idiot'** Ace glared at her, hearing the insult.

"Can you step on this scale? I need to weigh you"

Amethyst stood up, stumbling a bit, surprised at how weak she felt, but she straightened up instantly and walked to the scale, standing on it, not quite understanding what the numbers meant. She saw it stop at 41 'that's a pretty big number if age has any correlation in this'

"Whoa, you are way too light, we should talk about a diet plan for her after this April" Thatch said, sounding serious for the first time. 'Okay, so not such a big number then'

April nodded and turned back to Amethyst "Okay, I'm going to need you to undress so that I can make a full examination, that would also include touching so if you want me to stop at any time just tell me or indicate for me to stop and I'll stop immediately"

Amethyst tensed but nodded, ignoring the pain that shot through her body as she stayed standing, 'now is not the time to be weak,' she told herself. Ace stood up to walk out and shot a glare at Thatch, making him run out as he was about to sit down on a bed and get comfortable. Amethyst began to internally panic.

 **'Wait!... You... you can stay... if you want'**

Ace was startled by the voice and turned to look at Amethyst, she wasn't looking at him, feeling embarrassment at how obvious it was that she was requesting it.

Ace closed the door and sat back down on the bed.

"Why are you still here Ace?" April asked in confusion.

"She's okay with it," He replied confidently.

April looked at her and Amethyst nodded then looking to her side at Ace, seeing a smirk on his lips and she rolled her eyes, facing back to April. **'You know on second thoug-'**

"Nope, no taking it back... unless you're serious then I'll leave"

She rolled her eyes again, not saying anything. Ace took the silence as a sign that she wasn't serious.

"Let me guess, you're talking to him without talking somehow?" April asked, figuring out the whole one-sided conversation that kept happening.

"Yes! thank you! she guessed it, you can't be mad at me!" Ace said, relieved that someone finally understood.

"Yeah, well unlike everyone else, I know you aren't crazy... well at least not talk-to-yourself crazy" Ace scowled at the last part, "Gee, thanks"

April looked back to Amethyst and indicated that she can undress.

Amethyst grabbed the top of her sleeveless dress and pulled it down, letting it drop to the ground, taking a quick glance to April and only saw a very calculating look, she glanced at Ace and she saw his eyes closed, she was confused with all these new actions she had never experienced with anyone before.

"Are you okay with me touching you?" April asked, looking at her face.

She gave a hesitant nod and April reached out her hand and started gently prodding and caressing certain areas of her body, never touching too long or inappropriately staring, she got lower and looked up to Amethyst. "Can I touch you down here?" She nodded.

She flinched at the first initial touch, it was cold, but then she soon relaxed as it went on, "I don't understand how you can even move, there are so many very severe bruises and vaginal lacerations, surprisingly there are very little scars and the ones that are there aren't very visible so they must've at least been treated properly, but I guess if the power you've shown today is any indication, it's not really a surprise that you're strong"

Amethyst wouldn't admit it but she was surprised herself, she felt pain everywhere but refused to look weak to anybody.

The temperature in the room rose again. "Ace... I swear..." April said through gritted teeth.

The temperature then dropped... again.

Amethyst was tempted to laugh, despite the obvious atmosphere that went against it and the fact that she's never laughed before, she wouldn't even know what it would sound like.

"I'm going to move behind you to check the back of you now, alright?"

Amethyst felt anxiety take over her but nodded, she hated her back, she despised it with everything within her, she was never branded but... she never really needed to be, they marked her in other visible ways, she watched as April disappeared behind her and heard a horrified gasp.

"Oh my god" she shut her eyes in disgust just thinking about what she could see.

She felt a hand touch her back and tensed up, eyes shooting open, she knew who's hand that was and it wasn't Aprils, she refused to look at his face not wanting to see his expression. She wasn't so sure anymore what his expression would be, he surprised her a lot but she knew it wouldn't be a good one. His hand left her skin but she still stayed tense, scared and anticipating something, anything, a sound, a word just something.

Amethyst then heard the door open and slam shut making her flinch at the loud sound that resonated through the room and splinters of wood going everywhere. "That idiot is going to pay for all this damn damage he's done to my office"

April then continued what she was doing, same questions of reassurance, the same touches but this time Amethyst drowned it all out, for the first time she felt worried about how someone thought of her, he was reckless and seemed short-tempered, she thought about what stupid things he might do and what things might be going through his head.

She was brought out of her thoughts with a tap to her forehead. "Here are some clothes, it's just some undergarments, a Jersey and some shorts, nothing fancy, the Jersey will probably be a bit big but the shorts should fit fine"

Amethyst nodded, taking the clothes and put them on, moving back to the bed, sitting on the edge of it, legs dangling.

"So the scars on your back, they're nothing like I've seen before, I can recognise some as cuts, scratches, burn and whip marks which I'm sure you're aware of, but there are specific ones that I'm a bit sceptical about whether or not you know of them, are you aware of the other ones that I may be talking about?"

Amethyst felt like throwing up at the thought of it and nodded, _his_ voice still echoing in her head as he carved it into her.

* * *

 _A nine-year-old Amethyst was laying on a bed, completely naked, on her stomach, eyes tightly shut and tears soaking into the pillow her face was buried in. She had just witnessed her mother killed in front of her eyes, a couple hours before. She used her powers because some Celestial went to touch her in a way she wasn't familiar with and she panicked, she wasn't sure what he was doing but she knew she definitely did not like it. They killed her mom because of it, she never met the woman but it hit her harder than the other deaths she caused because of her disobedience._

 _Now here she was, just finished through succumbing to his rough torture and use of her body, she never felt such raw disgust and pain, it felt so wrong, so utterly wrong._

 _She was being pinned down as the Celestial sat stark naked on her lower back, holding a blade against her back, feeling it break the skin and prick her as he twirled it on her back._

 _"You going to disobey me again, pet?"_

 _She shook her head, making sure not to make a noise._

 _"Now to make sure you know your place"_

 _Her eyes widened in pain and she bit into the pillow to keep from screaming, he dug the knife into her back and started carving letters into her flesh._

 _'S, L, A, V, E'_

 _"So you know who you belong to"_

 _'M, I, N, E'_

 _"And so you know what you are"_

 _'P, E, T'_

 _She had given up on the pillow and started biting her lip, to seal her lips shut, blood was dripping from the wound she was making in her lip with her teeth, tears pouring endlessly from her eyes. She knew she was going to get at least a beating for staining his pillow with her blood, but she wouldn't mind any of those scars if to just cover up those ones._

 _"And every time my turn with you comes, I will re-carve you and remind you exactly of where your place is, with me" and that's when she knew, she was always going to be his... his..._

 _"Ready for another round, Pet?"_

 _...his pet_

* * *

Amethyst quickly got up and ran towards the bin across the room and vomited the scarce contents of her stomach, her eyes burned with tears that she forced back, her throat burned as bile rose up from the pit of her stomach. She felt disgusting, dirty. Memories of that man flashing through her mind like a bolt of lightning. She heard April start to rush towards her and she held up her hand to stop her.

April felt herself come into contact with an invisible wall and realized Amethyst had used her powers to block her from going towards her. "Hey, don't use your powers, I won't go to you"

Amethyst put her hand down, now kneeling in front of the bin, staring blankly at it.

"There are towels and a sink you can use, I'm going to go out but I don't want you coming out until you've had a rest, no matter how strong you are, you need rest. I need to inform some people of your condition and discuss some information on how you are and your situation, but don't worry I won't say anything unnecessary or go into too much detail unless I need to, you can go into further detail if you want to, yourself" April said, then walking out but not before cursing about Ace and the broken door, shutting it behind her as she left.

Amethyst stood up, not bothering to pretend her legs weren't aching, stumbling as her legs shook, small hisses of pain leaving her mouth. She walked to the sink, turning it on and rinsing her mouth out, she then grabbed a towel and dried herself. She walked back to the bed and lay down on it, facing the wall and curling into a ball, hugging the jersey around her, tears started coming out and silent sobs wracked her body, she was shaking violently. Finally being out of that cell, out of that hell and the multiple tortures she was faced with every day. She finally had a moment of peace and the toll of everything she had been through came ramming into her relentlessly, it was so overwhelming that she had to keep herself from screaming.

She was so caught up with her breakdown that she didn't realise someone slipping into the room. She felt someone sit on the end of the bed and put their hand on her arm. She jerked in surprise and looked to see who it was. Seeing who it was, she relaxed, her tears falling more rapidly.

"...A-ace"

Ace felt his chest constrict seeing the tears roll down her cheeks, body shaking and hearing her real voice for only the third time since he's met her, the first time was whispered and raspy, like she hadn't used it in a long time, the second time, cold and emotionless and now, the third time, broken and tortured.

He lay next to her and grabbed her so she was laying her head on his chest, her arms tucked into his side, his right arm wrapped securely around her back, holding her to his chest and the other drawing soothing circles on her shoulder. "Sleep," he said softly but demanding, she went rigid at first but then relaxed against him.

She closed her eyes, tears and sobs calming down. She focused on the movements of his finger on her shoulder, the rhythm of his heartbeat and the warmth of his body against her skin and then she felt herself drift into slumber.

She didn't trust him yet, not at all, but if she had to pick someone to put her trust in... it would be him...


	4. Chapter 4: A Voice

**_Disclaimer: ...Nope. Oda owns._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 4.**

* * *

"So how's her condition April?" Whitebeard asked the frustrated looking doctor.

"To put it simply, it's shit, I don't understand how she can even walk, let alone move as much as she has. She has so much internal damage done on her insides, no doubt was administered by the amount of rape and torture the girl must've gone through," she said, a grim look on her face.

Marco who was also there felt disgusted at the revelation though not surprised and if he weren't so in control of his emotions probably would've voiced his disgust.

"She's malnourished as well but luckily not too bad, seeing as she's quite pretty I'd say that was the reason why she was treated a little more in the food department but also serving against her with what I said before," she said, grimacing at the last part.

"Her mental state is probably an even bigger mess than her physical state, I've gotten a glimpse of what she's gone through when I examined her body and apart from what I've told you, judging by some scarring, there are some messed up experiences in her life, not that being a slave isn't messed up in itself,"

Whitebeard shook his head, knowing that it wasn't an abnormal occurrence in this world.

"How old is she?" Marco asked, still keeping his emotions in check, barely.

"She says that she's seventeen," she says, a hint of unsureness in her voice.

" 'Says'? As in you're not sure? When is her birthday?"

"That's the thing, she doesn't know. She knows next to nothing about herself, her family, where she's from, not even her last name and from what I saw when she was filling in the form, she didn't even know she was supposed to know or have the information that it asked for,"

Marco looked beyond confused, 'how could someone know so little about themselves?' then a realisation came over him as he thought it over.

"How is that possible? has she been there so long that she just forgot?"

"Unfortunately son I don't think it's even that," Whitebeard said, a sombre look on his face, feeling grim at what he was sure the reason for all the holes in the girl's life was about.

"From the brief information that I've gotten from Ace, she told him that she was born into slavery, her mom was a slave and birthed her into it,"

Marco couldn't contain the emotion of horror that spread through his features as he digested the information. "You're telling me that she's been a slave for _seventeen_ years? if that is even her age,"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying,"

After he got over his initial shock, his face turned calm again. "You said she has a mom? what do you know about her?"

" _had_ a mom, Ace also told me that she was killed in front of the girl but prior to seeing her killed, it was the first time that she ever saw her, physically anyway. I was told that she had a picture but from the looks of what I've seen on her, she doesn't seem to have it anymore,"

By this point, Marco was angry to the point of rage, not being able to contain the emotions bubbling in him. "What the fuck Pops? how can the marines just let shit like that happen and be all righteous with their 'Justice' that they throw around everywhere,"

Whitebeard sighed not knowing exactly how to answer his confused and rage-filled son."There are things in this life that will never be explained son not until someone turns the world upside down and reveals it for what is,"

Marco shook his head "And Ace was in there as he found all this out and saw all the damage? how did he not burn the room down?"

April's face turned annoyed "Trust me, it's not from a lack of trying. Apart from the damage he's done in my office, you should've seen the hallway, probably from when he had a tantrum and left the room,"

"Well, that brat has seen a glimpse of ugliness that the world has to offer, so it probably hit him harder, she's similar than how he was when he first got here. I'd say he connects with her in that sense," Whitebeard said, grim look still holding in place but paired with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

Marco scoffed at that "Yeah, no kidding, in more ways than one I bet. Did you see the way that brat looked at me when I was walking up to the girl before she passed out? he looked almost ready to rip my damn head off as if I was some monster there to kill her,"

That caused the strained air in the room to dissipate, a roaring laugh echoing throughout the room.

* * *

Amethyst woke up, hearing snickers and laughter. She opened her eyes and looked down to see a muscled bare chest and torso, almost freaking out and pushing it off but then remembered what happened before she went to sleep, scolding herself for showing weakness in front of a stranger. She looked up and half-expected him to be awake and the one who the laughter was coming from, a smug look on his face but saw that he was still sleeping. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and looked at the doorway, stilling in shock as she saw Marco, Thatch and a few other people she recognised as Whitebeard commanders. They were laughing and taking pictures only to stop once they saw she had caught them.

Her eyes automatically narrowed and she made a gesture with her hand, the multiple cameras suddenly turning to nothing but crushed metal.

"Now that's not very nice" A voice came from beside her and she snapped her head back at the figure she thought was still asleep.

Ace got up and off the bed, stretching and yawning. "You slept pretty long, you know?"

 **'How long?'**

"About two days" Amethyst was shocked, she didn't realise she had been sleeping that long, she then realised something. **'Why were you still here?'**

He looked at her and grinned, a twinkle in his eyes "Didn't want to leave you alone, in case you did something stupid"

All the commanders looked at Ace, worry and confusion all over their faces. "Marco was right, he's lost it"

Ace groaned in frustration, his previous expression dropping immediately, replaced with a scowl. "I'm not crazy, dammit!"

 **'Shame,'** Amethyst said, only fueling his frustration, he turned back to her. "Would you shut up already?! It's your fault they think I'm some mental case!"

She rolled her eyes at him, feeling a bit bad she decided to pay him back for what he's been doing for her. 'Not that I asked him to do those things for me' she thought, not admitting that she felt quite grateful.

 **'He's not crazy'**

The commanders all looked around frantically, surprised by the sudden voice.

"What the fuck was that?"

"You all heard it right?!"

"We're haunted!"

 **'Damn, are all of you pirates morons or is it just a Whitebeard pirate thing?'**

They all guessed that by the insult, it was the girl glaring at them on the bed. They sighed in relief, for the fact they weren't haunted and Ace wasn't losing his mind.

"Thank you! you could've done that earlier!" Ace said, still annoyed that she only chose to reveal herself now. Amethyst glared at him, annoyed by his comment and presence.

"So you can talk to people in their heads?" Marco asked, looking at the girl with interest and scepticism.

She turned and nodded, a blank look on her face.

"Okay, enough questions, get out now, I need to check my patient," April said, pushing through all the commanders and pushing them out of the room, into the hall. "But that was only one question!"

"You to Ace, leave, please. Looks like the girl doesn't seem to want you in here just as much as the others," She said, ignoring the comment.

Ace looked at Amethyst who glared at him. **'Well, you heard the woman, leave'**

He smirked a bit and walked towards the door "Marco, I'm guessing you still have a picture of us?"

"Yup, unlike these guys, I took one and didn't overkill so she didn't catch me" Amethyst's head snapped to the two top commanders and glared darkly, promising pain. They just shot her looks of smugness, but a small chill went through them. They all left and it was just Amethyst and April.

"So, how are you feeling?"

Amethyst was still on edge when it came to doctors but decided to give this one a chance, instincts telling her that she wasn't bad. **'Fine'**

April didn't make any reaction to the sudden voice, just nodding, tapping her fingers on the table next to the bed.

"Well, let's see, can you stand up for me? and tell me if you feel any pain anywhere"

Amethyst did as she was told and stood up and tested her weight on both legs, stretching her tight muscles. **'No pain'**

"That's good, the lacerations, scrapes and cuts had already been treated fairly well so they'll heal fine, and the bruises will heal on their own. I think you can leave the room now, Pops wants to talk to you but before that I think some food is a necessity at the moment, follow me," April said, smiling without the worry in her eyes now, walking out of the room.

Amethyst followed her cautiously, looking around, just in case someone were to ambush her without her guard up. She noticed scorch marks here and there, splinters of wood scattered on the floor and rolled her eyes 'what an idiot'.

They walked till they got to a very loud and full deck, men spread everywhere and eating like their lives depended on it, all surrounding the big man that was sitting on a fairly large chair, a smile on his face, you could almost feel the camaraderie just oozing off of them.

Everyone turned and saw Amethyst, a glare on her face, daring them to try something so that she could continue what she was doing before, this time without the pain and grogginess that she had the first time.

April then left her, telling her to sit down and she would be given food, glaring slightly at the people staring and giving Amethyst looks of distrust.

Amethyst walked to the side of the ship, sitting down and leaning her back on the rail, holding the glare she had on her face, deepening it when she saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure walk towards her.

"Here," Thatch said, putting the food in front of her.

She nodded her head in a gesture of thanks and grabbed a spoonful of the soup and swallowed it, feeling it warm her stomach. Her eyes widened and she scrunched her face up, dropping the spoon. Everyone on the deck, including Whitebeard, were all confused at the outburst, Thatch's food was always good.

"What? you don't like it?" he asked, confused and slightly hurt that she reacted like that.

She shook her head, opening her eyes, shaking a bit and pointed to the food. **'You didn't say I could eat'**

Thatch was startled by the comment. "What?"

Amethyst stared at him a little longer, she then looked forward, a hardened look on her face, fingers digging into the exposed skin of her thighs. **'Just punish me already, I'm not in the mood for games'**

Thatch backed up a bit at the face she was making and the comment that went along with it, he didn't understand what she was talking about. "I'm not going to punish you just because you ate some food. You're allowed to eat of your own volition, you know?"

Amethyst looked at him, eyes narrowed, she didn't trust his words, she was almost sure he was going to strike her if she went for a second spoon.

"Plus if I were to punish you for anything, it would be for messing up my hair when you threw me into that wall"

Amethyst gave him a look that said 'I-dare-you-to-try'. He backed up even more and threw his hands up. "I'm just kidding!"

A booming laugh was heard across the ship, making her look up at the large man known as Whitebeard. He had figured out what was going on despite the one-sided freakout that was happening.

"You aren't a slave here brat, you're free, you are allowed to do what you want. Though I do hope you refrain from throwing around me and my children like you did before, it's not very good for our pride," he said, amusement clear in his voice, holding no sort of grudge or ill-will against her.

Amethyst was surprised, not knowing how to react, she was then surprised even more when all the people on deck started to laugh, comments of humour echoing around the ship.

"We had no chance!"

"We didn't even see what was coming!"

"She got us good, aye pops?"

Amethyst was only snapped out of her surprise when she felt someone sit next to her, their body heat warming her chilled skin, she looked and saw Ace smiling softly at her. "We aren't bad people, we honestly mean no harm. You don't have to be afraid of us, plus if anything were to happen, you could probably easily take us out, right?"

She didn't know what to say, she just shook her head and looked away, a blank look on her face. **'You people are strange'**

People on deck started to freak out at the sudden voice, only calming down when the people who were aware of it explained to them what it was to which they started to laugh again.

Amethyst rolled her eyes and said **'Really strange'** earning even more laughter.

She reached for the soup again and hesitated, hand hovering over it, her other hand reaching over her shoulder to touch her back gingerly, closing her eyes as if feeling the pain again, remembering a few punishments she got for eating without permission.

Her eyes opened again when she felt something solid and cold prodding softly on her nose, seeing Ace poking her with a spoon full of soup, a sour look on his face, though not directed at her.

"Eat. I'm sure you've already come to the realisation that we aren't those bastards _if_ you're smart, so eat already. You're putting me on edge," he said, frustrated as he put two and two together as to why she was touching her back.

Amethyst shot him a half-hearted glare and took the spoon from his hand, pouring the soup that was in it, back into the bowl and putting it down beside the plate. Ace went to protest until she grabbed the bowl, putting it up to her lips and drinking it all in one gulp, the warm liquid travelling down her throat delectably. She put it back down when she was done and continued looking down at the bowl.

Ace would've laughed but didn't as he saw tears falling from her downcast face.

Thatch came then, beaming when he saw that she had finished it. "I'm glad you liked it," he said, not realising she was crying. He grabbed the bowl and went to take it back when a smooth and small hand grabbed him by the wrist.

He looked and was flabbergasted to see the girl looking up at him with tears rolling down her face but with a calm expression. "H-hey why a-"

He was cut-off by a soft yet clear voice, making everyone on deck look at them in surprise.

"...thank you, for the food," Amethyst said, looking up at the guy, tears now stopped but still leaving tracks on her caramel, freckled cheeks. She then let go of his wrist, still looking at him.

Thatch started to stutter in surprise at the voice, the very _soft_ and _beautiful_ voice, he thought in his head "N-no p-problem," he then ran off, not wanting to get even more flustered, a blush staining his cheeks. Everyone laughing at him trip over his feet to get to the kitchen.

A calloused but warm hand went to her face, tenderly rubbing away the wetness that her tears had left behind and she looked to see Ace with an amused look on his face. "Geez, you remind me of my little brother, such a cry-baby," he said jokingly, making her glare at him and swat his hand away, guarded look back on her face, but this time to hide her embarrassment.

Another person came and sat in front of her but not too close, which she was grateful for, it was Marco.

"Thatch is going to go on about this forever, how he was the first one to make her talk," He said, annoyance laced in his voice, he felt for the girl after finding out a bit of her history a couple of days ago.

"I was the first one!" Ace shouted suddenly, disturbed at the thought of that pervert cook showing off a title that he had earned.

Marco looked at Amethyst, cocking an eyebrow, waiting for her to confirm his statement.

"He was the first," she said confirming, still using her real voice.

Ace's eyes widened "Are you going to start talking now?"

Amethyst nodded.

There was a calm look on her face, but her heart was beating hard against her chest, not knowing if people were going to react badly to it. "Yeah, if that's okay. I only stopped talking because I was taught not to... but you people are different... right?" she said, eyes narrowing as she dragged out the last word.

"Yeah, We are! you don't need to worry!" Ace said a bit too enthusiastically, a face-splitting grin appearing on his face, making her scoff lightly.

"But I still don't completely trust you people, so if anything remotely off happens, I'm going to use my power to pop each of your heads like a balloon," she said in a sinister voice, loud enough for everyone to hear, sending a cold chill through the air. A dark and serious look on her face but amusement in her eyes. She was serious but not too worried about anything happening, though a pie eating man did set off a few alarms in her.

Everyone shuddered at the threat even Whitebeard looked a bit disturbed at the graphic threat, though not for long as his smile returned.

"Maybe it was better when she didn't talk," Marco said half-joking, liking the more silent threats in contrast to this one.

Ace was still grinning, just happy that she was starting to open up and it was only her fourth day on the ship, two of them her being out of commission, he was sure it would take a long time.

"I have pretty good instincts so, I can sense you guys aren't all that bad," she said, answering the question of why she started to talk, that she knew was going through some of their heads.

"A PIRATE SHIP!"

Everyone looked to see a ship heading their way, shooting cannons that hit the water near the ship, a little too close for comfort.

Everyone started to get into positions to fight when they suddenly heard screaming coming from the ship, small dots, that they assumed to be pirates, jumping overboard. Everyone was amazed and shocked to see the ship started to rise off the water and then flung into the air by some invisible force, the ship now a small black dot in the sky. The black dot started to get bigger and bigger until it was in sight and crashed into the water, shattering on impact.

Everyone looked to Amethyst who had her hand still in the air and a calm almost innocent look on her face as she pulled her hand back, laying it on her lap. "What?"

They all shook their heads, like nothing was wrong but they were all thinking the same thing, 'So brutal'.

* * *

Amethyst was sitting on a chair in Whitebeards room, waiting for the inevitable outpour of questions she was going to be thrown. Whitebeard was sitting on his bed, Ace and Marco sitting on each side of him.

"What devil fruit do you have?" Marco asked.

"I don't have one"

All three were surprised, not understanding completely what she meant. "Do you mean, you don't know what devil fruit you have?"

"No, I mean, I was born naturally with my abilities, no swirly, weirdly shaped fruits. Trust me I would know if I was somehow forced to eat one, plus I can swim and sea stone doesn't affect me," she said a little annoyed that they didn't understand when she said it the first time.

"That does make sense, you don't exactly have a power we can pinpoint from what you've demonstrated so far," Whitebeard said, a thoughtful look on his face.

"It makes zero sense Pops, how does one have powers without a devil fruit ability?" Marco asked, not sure why he seemed so okay with the information they were provided.

"There are a lot of things in the world that make no sense son, but that doesn't make them any less as possible as a fruit that gives you powers," Whitebeard said wisely.

Marco still seemed sceptical of the answer she provided and continued to question her.

"You sure you weren't experimented on, any tests done or something?"

"Well, yes I was experimented on but, not to give me abilities. They experimented on me to find out where my powers may have derived from," Amethyst said, scrunching her face up as she remembered the tests that were done, they didn't hurt but they were uncomfortable.

"What else can you do with your powers? other than what you've already demonstrated?" Ace asked, finally speaking up.

Amethyst thought for a second and put her hand out, palm facing upwards and suddenly a ball of fire appeared in her hand.

"WAIT! you can be made of fire too?!" Ace asked stunned at the ball of fire she had in her hand.

"No, I can manipulate and form fire at will, but I'm not made of it," she said, feeling good at the reactions she was getting.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Marco asked. His interest in the girl was quickly rising and so was his wariness.

Amethyst shrugged. "I'm not sure, haven't really tried everything, was kind of occupied the last eighteen years of my life," she said earning a look of guilt from the blonde who quickly apologised.

"Don't you mean seventeen?" Ace asked.

"Well if I'm correct and it's been three days since I was forced-I mean rescued then yesterday was the day that I was supposed to celebrate my birthday, they usually tell me when it is but I've never known the date or if they were changing around my birthday so I wouldn't find out," she said matter-of-factly, confused when she received looks of annoyance and amusement.

"Well this calls for a feast, we could go through her abilities all day but we have more pressing issues, wouldn't you say Pops?" Marco said, smiling up at the old man who agreed and stood up, walking towards the door.

"I also want to talk to you about something privately after the festivities Amethyst, I was going to talk to you about it later on as you got used to us but seeing as it's been decided that your birthday celebration will be today I can find no reason as to this not being the perfect time to ask," Whitebeard said before walking out after Amethyst gave him a hesitant nod.

"Well, now that, that is settled, I'll go inform the cooks of the feast. You two do whatever... preferably not on Pops' bed," Marco said sending a smirk to the two stunned people in the room.

Amethyst glared and used her power to throw an object at his head, which he caught, much to her dismay.

"I'm now aware of your powers, don't think I'll be caught off guard," he said, a proud look on his face as he walked out.

"We'll see about that"

"Would you stop making that face? you look evil," Ace said when he saw the dark look that took over her face.

Amethyst looked at him, face now back to its blank look.

"Thank you for saving me"

Ace stared at her before grinning. "No problem... oh and don't think I forgot about the fact that you said 'forced' before and the fact that you didn't inform me of the fact your birthday was yesterday"

Amethyst smiled a little, feeling like a weight was lifted off her chest, she's never met people like this and it was refreshing, she didn't know why she hadn't sensed it sooner. Probably because she was busy freaking out about the unfamiliar environment.

"Woah," Ace said, snapping her out of her thoughts, she gave him a look of confusion, not understanding the stunned look on his face.

"You should do that more often," he said, studying her expression.

Her head tilted to the side a bit, blinking in confusion. "Do what?"

He stood up off the bed, walking over to her and poked her in the cheek, causing her to frown. "Smile. It's a nice contrast to the glare and blank looks you usually give"

She flicked his hand away, glare returning. "Well don't get used to it," honestly she was surprised that she smiled, she's smiled before when she escaped the first time but not since then. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"What are you? five?" She asked, seeing the immature action.

"No, I happen to be twenty. Oh and by the way, I'm glad you came. Now you're the youngest onboard," he said before walking out, poking his tongue out again.

She rolled her eyes, sensing some underlying message in that comment. She looked around the room, it was fairly big, not surprising considering the person who occupied it.

Suddenly there was a bang heard on the other side of the door, startling her out of her trance.

"Ah shit, Ace fell asleep in the hallway again!"

Amethyst smirked a bit, 'that's what he deserves'.

* * *

The feast was loud and full of food, laughter and drinking... lots of drinking.

Amethyst was surrounded by a couple commanders who had taken a keen interest in her abilities, not that everyone else wasn't because they were.

"So, you can just use your mind and do all these things?" Haruta asked.

Amethyst nodded, not wanting to elaborate too much on it.

"Can you do this?" A man named Jozu asked, making half his body turn to diamond.

Amethyst closed her eyes briefly before sticking her hand out but instead of diamonds covering her arm, a small mountain of diamonds just formed in her hand. "I guess not," she said, making the diamonds disappear, much to the dismay of those around her. "WE COULD'VE KEPT THAT!"

Amethyst shrugged, not wanting to try it again and give them what they wanted.

"She doesn't have my sword skills though," Vista said, twirling the end of his moustache with his fingers. Amethyst looked at one of his swords and blinked, the blade shattering into pieces. "Don't exactly need it," she said, not realising the extent of what she just did.

Before Vista could burst in outrage, she clicked her fingers and it turned back to normal as if it didn't just shatter into pieces.

"You're lucky that you can do that, it's highly disrespectful to destroy any sword in front of a swordsman, especially their own," Blamenco said, warning her of what she did wrong.

"Oh, sorry," she said emotionlessly to the swordsman who was busy inspecting his sword, a perturbed expression on his face. "Just don't do it again, please," he said politely after nodding at the fully(overly) inspected sword.

Ace was eating beside her, smiling at the fact that she was openly speaking to everyone here, though she did glare, flinch from time to time when someone got too close for her liking and says disturbing things now and then, he could tell she was warming up to everyone.

His vision started to get spotty and before he fell face-first into his plate, Amethyst caught his head in midair, using a bit of her power to hold his head up, one of her fingers sticking out, in a poking motion. She clicked her fingers with her free hand and the plate was replaced with a cushion, then letting his head fall into a soft landing.

"He was a lot like you, you know?"

Amethyst turned her attention towards Marco.

"He hated everyone except for his little brother that he may have mentioned before, he was an angry bastard too, kept trying to kill Pops, it took him a really long time to warm up to us,"

Amethyst was surprised, not expecting that from him, knowing Ace for as short a time as she did, she could tell he was very devoted to his crew and to Whitebeard. She looked at Ace who was still face-first on the cushion and refrained from laughing at the sight of it.

"CAKE IS READY!" Thatch shouted, holding a pretty large cake in his hands, he placed it in front of Amethyst and grinned at her.

Amethyst looked at the cake and her eyes narrowed, she leaned her head towards it and sniffed, taking her hand and grabbing a bit of it with her fingers. She nudged Ace in the ribs, startling him awake.

"What?! wha-mmph!" Amethyst stuck the piece of cake in his mouth, quickly pulling her hand away and looking at him with an anticipating expression on his face.

"What the hell was that for?!" he asked, annoyed at the sudden shove of food in his mouth, still swallowing it down. She just looked at him a little longer, the same expression on her face "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know, annoyed that someone shoved something in my mouth out of nowhere?" he said sarcastically. She groaned in frustration. "Not about that you moron, how does your body feel? you feel any different?"

"Um, no?"

She nodded her head, satisfied with the answer and dug into the cake, but not before waiting for a little bit and looking up at Thatch who exasperatedly had to convince her she can eat it and nothing was going to happen to her.

"You still didn't answer my question, why did you shove that in my mouth randomly?" Ace asked still confused and annoyed.

"Oh I thought it might've been poisoned," she said nonchalantly.

"WHAT?! and you were testing it on me?!" Ace asked outraged at the thought that she risked him being poisoned, even though he knew it wouldn't have been.

"I knew it wasn't actually poisoned, I sniffed it but you know, some poisons don't have a scent... Okay, so maybe I didn't know... but I was about seventy-three percent sure"

Everyone scratched their heads in exasperation 'That's not very high odds'.

* * *

After the festivities were done, Amethyst was called to Whitebeards room. She knocked on the door. "It's Amethyst"

"Come in," a resounding voice said from the other side of the door. She walked in and sat on the seat she was in before, looking at Whitebeard who was lying down on his bed.

"How was it? Did you enjoy yourself?" Whitebeard asked. A smile that didn't seem to disappear, on his face.

"Yeah, it was... different, thank you for your hospitality," she said, nervousness in her voice, she wasn't sure what this was about but she had an idea and it wasn't a good one.

"Do you know why I might've asked you here brat?"

Amethyst's eye twitched at the nickname but got over it, looking at him with a blank expression. "Is it because you want to take me back?"

A laugh echoed through the room at the absurd idea that she got into her head.

"Of course not you brat, I want to ask you something very important, but it is completely your choice,"

Amethyst felt even more nervous at that, she's never really had a say in anything she's done, always told what to do, how to do everything and what she shouldn't do. "Okay..."

"Would you like to become one of my children?"

Wel, that definitely was not in her top ten ideas of what he might want to talk about.

"What?" She asked incredulously, disbelief blooming in her chest at the thought of anyone wanting her for even more than a quick use of entertainment, be it her body or her powers. "Me?" she asked, not quite sure if this was a reality.

He laughed, joy glistening in his eyes at the look that was displayed on her face. Did she really think so little of herself that she would be this shocked at the question?

"Yes you, brat, take my name and roam as you please, as wildly as you please, be free," he said now looking at her seriously, waiting for an answer.

She didn't know what to say, this is something she didn't believe would ever happen, first escaping, then having someone protect her and someone wanting to heal her without a under-handed attempt at getting at her, having a choice in decisions, crying in front of someone and then in front of everyone, then talking again and to so many people, openly and without fear, well, without much fear.

...Smiling. what next?

"We will all look after you Amethyst," Amethyst's head shot to the side, seeing all the commanders she had gotten to know in the doorway.

"Yeah! you'll be our family,"

"We'll be free together, come on, it'll be fun!"

"But, I'm wanted by the government, my powers and place with... with the celestials are too much for even the strongest man in the world to be able to ignore," she said, shaking her head as she thought about how bad it would be if she was found.

"That doesn't matter to me brat, we're pirates and we are all wanted by the government in some way or form. We are all children of the sea, we were born free and that includes you." Amethyst couldn't contain her shock at the words leaving his mouth.

"I'll give you as much time to decide for yourself, it would be insensitive on our part to force a decision now with what you have been through, though knowing your power I doubt that it would be smart to push you in any way at all," Whitebeard then said, his face full of amusement again, filling her with warmth.

"Wait, does that mean she'll be our sister? cause that would be weird for me," Thatch said suddenly, a look of genuine horror on his face, earning a couple hits to the head. "What?! there's a connection" that earned him a few kicks as well.

Amethyst didn't realise that she started to cry until she felt wet drops hit her hands, she looked down and watched as they kept dropping, hitting her hands in a fast rhythm. She covered her mouth with one hand and clutched her stomach with the other, shaking.

And then they heard it the answer to her 'what next?', it was unrestrained, bright, bubbly and full of suppressed and new-born joy, so much joy that warmth bloomed in everyone's chests that were outside and inside the room, the sound gathering a bigger crowd outside the doorway as people searched to see the cause of such a heart-warming and ear-tickling sound that was unfamiliar to everyone.

She was laughing.

Amethyst had laughed, tears rolling down her face and body shaking violently as the unfamiliar sound kept wracking her body, forcing themselves out of her mouth, demanding attention.

"You look like a crazy person,"

Amethyst turned instantly at the familiar mock-filled voice, still laughing and crying as she looked at Ace with a grin on his face. She got up and ran full speed at him, jumping and hugging him tightly around the neck. "Thank you so much!" she said, laughing now stopped but a wide smile on her face, pressing it into his shoulder.

Ace caught the girl, eyes widening, not expecting her to be so animated and jump on him. He felt her smile in his shoulder and felt himself hugging her back, tightening his arms that were already around her waist, a warm feeling that not even being literally made of fire has ever given him. "You don't have t-" she cut him off by hugging him tighter around the neck, shaking her head. He felt her warm tears rolling down his back.

"Don't expect me to say this again but... I'm so glad you were born, without you, I would've been stuck in there for the rest of my life,"

She pulled away and grabbed his shoulders with both hands, looking him dead in the eye and the brightest smile on her face, nearly as bright as a certain straw-hatted boy, nearly.

"Thank you for existing"

Ace felt his chest tightened, emotion bubbling in him making him feel uncomfortable and over-joyed at the same time, he never expected her or anyone for that matter to react like this, his skin came alive and he felt rejuvenated as if he had done something right for the first time in his life, his eyes looked at her face and memorised it, the dusting of freckles, the smooth complexion, the unique pale eyes that made her look innocent, as if nothing had ever tainted her heart and the smile, the wide blinding smile full of everything that had been taken away from her and as he pulled her back to him, hugging her tightly, tears pricking the corners of his eyes, he made a vow that he would protect that expression and never let anything or anyone take it away.

"So, I'm guessing your decision has been made?"

Amethyst pulled away and looked up at Whitebeard who had a look of enjoyment on his face, amused at the sign of affection and proud of Amethyst for saying something like that, knowing that she probably had no idea what it actually meant to the fire-user.

Ace walked out of the room, not wanting anyone to see his tears that may or may not have been shed, though if the snickers and teasing were of any correlation then he had already been caught out.

Amethyst's face turned calm, not blank or void of any emotion but just calm as if she were content with everything, though if you looked close enough she still had a bit of a shadow hiding in her eyes.

"Yes, I would be honoured to join, if you'll have me,"

Cheers and shouts of joy were heard all over.

"Now, about you and Ace, you can be an exception to the brother-sister deal, but you are still family to each other, of course. I wouldn't mind grandchildren," Whitebeard said a thoughtful look on his face that then melted into a light-hearted evil glint in his eye that matched sinisterly with his teasing smile.

Amethyst's face then turned to one of her more well-known expressions, glaring up at the man in annoyance. "In your dreams old man,"

"But Pops! I had dibs!" Thatch said, groaning like a child, Amethyst stuck her hand out to make a gesture to punish him when Marco kicked him in the head, sending him out of sight.

"Ignore him and welcome to the family brat," he said, a lazy smile on his face.

A corner of her mouth turned upwards slightly into a smirk and she clicked her fingers, a small fire appearing underneath the first division commander making him hiss, blue flames erupting from his legs as he stamped out the flames.

"Thanks, but you aren't aware of all my tricks yet so be very careful. I would refrain from calling me brat, Pops is the only exception," She said and walked out.

Amethyst was finally feeling like she could settle and be, dare she say it, free and happy for once in her life but she couldn't fight this nagging feeling in her chest, that something was off, something was coming...

...and it wasn't good.


	5. Chapter 5: Hypocrite

_**Disclaimer: Maybe in the future... Yeah no probably not, I own nothing, except for this story of course.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 5.**

* * *

It's been a few months since she agreed to become part of the Whitebeard pirates, so far nothing happening that made her regret her decision if anything it only made her reinforce her decision to joining.

She had gotten a lot closer with everyone, though she did have her moments where someone would catch her by surprise and then mysteriously end up thrown into a wall, not that she had something to do with that or anything.

She had been itching to get off the ship since she saw how beautiful and interesting the islands were when they stopped at a few to re-stock on supplies but the 'flying pineapple turkey', she referred to him as wouldn't let her, but Ace promised he would take her to explore the next island and by take he means sneak her out.

Ace and Marco had become particularly protective of her, which proved to annoy her but she was grateful for them, especially Ace, also being slightly protective of him as well, not that she would admit it.

Pops was her favourite in the crew, she grew to love the man, having a deep respect and adoration for him.

Marco had become sort of a motherly figure, he would baby her and forbid her from doing certain things, like cooking, going off on her own, playing with anything sharp and playing around with her powers as they found she became relatively weak when using it, a lot worse depending on how long or the more strenuous the effort of the power was.

Thatch had grown out of the crush that he had, though he still made comments here and there. Mostly he was good for pranks, they would play pranks on all the different divisions, becoming 'the' prank duo much to Ace's dismay as he used to prank with Thatch, now being 'left in the dust' as he put it. Amethyst being the more brutal of the two, her addition to the pranks would include sharp and hot objects or a mental scarring like naked pictures of certain, not very aesthetically pleasing people in the crew.

She was happy. More than she thought she deserved. There was also a guy named Teach, he was nice, quite funny too but there was something about him that made her feel on edge like he was a ticking time bomb, but she thought maybe it was just her anxiety so she let it go.

* * *

"Are you sure? You don't have to Amethyst," Whitebeard said, looking down at his daughter that had scooched into a special place in his heart. He was very dotting of her, never acting how he acted around his other children with her. He only had two daughters and one of them was very against affection and the other, despite her expressions that made her seem unapproachable, Amethyst, craved affection but was just a bit too distrusting of people to accept it a lot of the time.

"Yeah, I'm sure, you all are my family now and I want to get it so it feels official," She said, a very serious look on her face as she sat on his thigh on the deck, looking up at him.

"Well, you seem eager and as long as you're sure, we'll do it right away, Marco!" he shouted, the first commander walking towards them. "Yes Pops?"

"Get West and tell him that our new addition wants to wear our mark,"

Marco's eyes widened and he looked at Amethyst who winked at him, a small smile on her face.

"Aw, the baby of the family is growing up, almost makes me miss the times she would threaten to pop our heads," he mocked.

Amethyst glared at him. "I can do you one better and bring it through to reality, **Just. For. You.** "

Marco smirked at her "I still have the picture of you and Ace," he said, making her head feel like it was going to explode and he walked off, going to find West.

"Would you be mad at me if I shaved his hair off Pops?" Amethyst asked, a look of frustration clear on her face.

"Are you happy here brat?" Whitebeard asked suddenly, snapping her out of her working mind on how to prank Marco in a painful way.

"Yeah, I really am, I'm glad that I agreed to become one of your children. Why do you ask?"

Whitebeard smiled and ruffled her hair with one of his fingers. "I was just thinking if you're really grateful, that maybe grandchildren would be put back on the table."

Amethyst glared at him, sighing in exasperation. "Pops! that was never on the table in the first place, is this all I'm good for? Grandchildren?! Don't you have enough children as it is?"

A very childish and un-whitebeard like pout formed on his lips. "But that's different than grandchildren, grandchildren are cute and small, far from my children"

"I can help her with that Pops!" Thatch shouted from his place on deck.

"Shut it, moron, before I roast that hair right off your head," Amethyst threatened, looking at him with a half-hearted anger. "Sorry sorry, stop threatening the hairdo, not cool," he said, looking like a wounded puppy.

Ace then came, hitting Thatch in the head, hearing his comment before, ignoring his protests and jumped up on Whitebeards lap, sitting next to Amethyst. He looked at her, smiling as she smiled back, a teasing look in her eyes. "You know there is another leg over there that you can sit on," she said.

"Yes, I'm aware, there is also this one, over here," he said, winking at her, making her roll her eyes and move to the other leg.

"Oh come on, you know you love me"

She laughed at his facial expression, feigning hurt. "Meh..." he poked his tongue out at her and looked away from her. "Maybe I won't take you off the ship"

"Well, I'll take bread-head then," Amethyst said, not taking the bait he was obviously throwing, making him scowl at her. "HEY! I told you to stop calling me that and I thought Marco said you couldn't go out," Thatch shouted, offended that someone would make fun of something so magnificent.

"Who cares what that turkey said, he can shove his orders right up his a-"

"Okay, before you finish that sentence and make me add more restrictions for you, are you ready for your tattoo or not?" Marco said, cutting her off, a highly unimpressed look on his face, offended at the nickname and the fact that they were planning to sneak off the ship.

Amethyst jumped off of Whitebeards leg and towards the blonde, smiling innocently at him. He rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair, going to Whitebeards leg and leaning against it. Amethyst then giving her attention to West.

"You're gonna get a tattoo, Ammy? Why didn't you tell me?" Ace asked, using the nickname that was exclusive to only him, jumping off of his place on Whitebeards leg and next to Amethyst.

"I was still trying to convince Pops, didn't want to say anything and not end up getting it," she said, suddenly feeling her hands sweat from nervousness.

"A tattoo, huh?" she jumped at the voice and flung her arm, sending the person into the railing of the ship.

"Ammy!" Ace shouted this was the fifth time today.

"Shit, sorry teach!" she said apologetically, smiling sheepishly at everyone laughing at her. "It's alright," he said, sitting up and laughing.

"You getting Pops' mark Amethyst?" people started to ask her as more people started to gather on the deck of the ship. She nodded, feeling the adrenaline rush through her body.

"Where do you want it?" West asked.

"I... want it on my back," she said, her voice suddenly turning serious. Ace looked at her expression and felt his own darken, realising why she wanted it on her back.

"We get that you guys are close and everything but do you really need matching tattoos?" Haruta asked, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up Haruta, it's not like that," Ace snapped, the dark look still on his face, flames licking his shoulders, everyone starting to realise that there was a deeper reason as to why she wanted it specifically on her back. "You don't have to do it here in front of everyone Ammy, the tradition can be broken"

She shook her head, face full of determination. "I'm going to do it like everyone else, tradition is tradition," she said, not wanting to close her self off, she's passed that.

"Would you mind explaining what the hell you two are going on about?" Izo asks, slightly uncomfortable at the seriousness in both their voices.

"Just watch and know that this is very hard for her to do and before you say anything, I'm not talking about getting the tattoo," April said, suddenly appearing and taking place next to some members of the crew that were sitting down.

West brought a chair to the side of the ship, so she could sit on it and look out to the sea, knowing that it sometimes calmed down the nerves to watch it move and sway. Everyone had a full view of what was going on, some were drinking and chatting, treating it as a normal tradition of watching someone take Pops' mark, others relaxing and lying down or leaning on whatever was closest to them but most were watching intently.

Amethyst sat on the chair, the back of it pressed against her front, leaving her clothed back exposed. "When you're ready, Sis," West said, sitting on the side of her.

She took a shuddering breath in, adjusting the bra she was wearing under her shirt. She felt someone grab her hand, already knowing it was Ace, he gave her hand a little squeeze and then backed up, giving her space to get over her nerves.

"What the fuck is wrong with me? Just hurry up already and man the fuck up," she cursed aloud to herself and practically ripped the shirt off.

A collected amount of gasps were heard, strings of curses and words of horror as everyone caught site of the severely scarred back but the words, the words are what has them all pissed off beyond belief, all of their faces contorted in fury, a wave of futile rage swept over the deck and there was a subtle shake of the ship before it was gone, indicating the short loss of control of Whitebeard.

Amethyst shrunk in on herself, she felt terror piercing in her bones, after how Ace reacted maybe she shouldn't have shown them, panic engulfing her, frightening thoughts racing through her head, by this point she was shaking, her muscles were tight with anticipation. Suddenly she was lifted up, gasping in shock as she was engulfed in a hug by most of the commanders that she was closest with including her two favourites, Ace and Marco, though not admittedly.

"We're here with you now and always will be"

She wasn't sure who said that. She didn't really care, her eyes flooded with relief and then she was struggling out of their hold on her, finally slipping out and glaring playfully at them. "Oh, Suck it up! It's just a few scars, now move so I can cover it up already," she said, a smile back on her face then sitting on the chair, in the position she was previously in.

She heard a scoff behind her, "You're the one swearing at yourself like a psycho," Ace said teasing her, he was glad she didn't get too emotional.

"Shut up flame brain before I dump some of the ocean on you again"

He threw his hands up and chuckled. "So much disrespect to someone who's sneaking you off the ship to explore"

Marco was still fixated on the three words that were _forced_ into her skin, scarring jagged and gruesome looking like they had been traced over and over again, more times than he can count, scar tissue on scar tissue, the faded colouration only serving to stand out on her caramel coloured skin. He was still unbelievably pissed, how could someone do that? claim her as if she were some animal, less than human. But seeing her reaction, seeing how she didn't freak out like the rest of them and seemed like she had relaxed knowing that she had shown one of her many bad experiences, he sighed in resignation.

"That's it, you're never leaving the ship."

"WHAT?! YOU CANT DO THAT! POPS TELL HIM!"

Whitebeard had gotten control of his emotions and had watched his kids embrace in a protective hug and smiled again, feeling that despite her scars, she would heal just fine.

"Sorry brat but I agree with your brother, maybe if I had grandchildren..." Amethyst scowled at the mention of the 'G' word.

"You people infuriate me, you still aren't stopping me from sneaking out with Ace," Amethyst said, ignoring the pain that was reverberating through her back, hearing Whitebeards laugh and Marco's constant mother-henning.

"Ace will not be taking you anywhere except to your room and locking it... with him **_outside_** the door," her eye twitched at the last part, 'did he really have to add the last part?'

Ace had stepped in then. "Don't speak for me, I'm taking her out, she needs to feel free Marco and she hasn't even left the ship, you can't keep babying her like she's your little chick"

Amethyst smirked, hearing the silence that stretched.

"Fine, I'm going to ignore the whole bird reference and agree. But be back before dark and make sure she wears her hoodie, we don't need her face attracting the attention of perverts and don't eat too fast cause sometimes you fall asleep when you eat too much, too fast and then God knows what she'll end up getting herself into once your dumbass is out cold. Oh and if any children come up to you guys just ignore them, you never know how the marines may be working. Oh and if any animals-"

"I think they get it, Marco! calm down, she's just exploring for a couple hours, not the rest of her life," Haruta yelled getting a headache at his constant worried babble.

"We'll keep that in mind, Marco," Ace said, blinking as he tried to process the information but not really trying to either.

"If I need to wear a hoodie to protect me from perverts, I guess I should wear it everytime Thatch is around."

"HEY! I wasn't even in this argument, how did I get roped in?!"

"By being born bread-head, that's how," Amethyst said, feeling a laugh rumbling in her chest, but refraining from letting it out, in case she messed up the tattoo by moving too much.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thatch asked, confused by being suddenly insulted out of nowhere.

"Exactly what it sounds like, idiot, did your stupidity finally eat away at your brain?" By this time everyone on deck had forgotten their outrage and laughed at the entertaining arguments.

Thatch pouted, feeling very disrespected. "Why are you so mean to me?"

"Because you're my buddy and I'm always mean to people that I really like"

"Wow you must like every one of us, a lot," Jozu said making everyone laugh, nodding in agreement.

"You're all dead to me," she said in a dark voice.

"Never knew you loved us so much"

"Can you guys shut up now?! You're making my back hurt more with your infuriating voices," Amethyst shouted in frustration, family sure was a pain in her... everything.

* * *

A party was currently going on, they said it was a celebration for Amethyst getting her mark but she knew they just wanted an excuse to party in the middle of the day, typical. She had washed up and wore a dress that was flowing and didn't rub against her back too much.

"How are you feeling?" Ace asked from next to her, nudging her gently.

"Fine, pain is gone," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder and sighing, she liked quiet moments but this had to be her favourite, the sounds of her family in the background and being able to just relax, with Ace or Pops.

"No, I meant, how are you dealing with everything?" he replied in a softer tone than before, worry laced in his voice.

"Everything is fine, I'm doing fine, you're starting to sound like Marco," she said, poking him in the side, making him squirm.

"Don't group me in with your mom, he's in a league of his own," he said sounding offended.

Amethyst just laughed and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent, mixed with the distinct smell of the ocean, it was her favourite smell, it made her feel calm and relaxed, Ace was the only person who could calm her down, she relied heavily on him but was never direct about it. Only sitting by him or leaning on him when her mind was foggy or she felt her anxiety rise or when she was just tired, sometimes he would catch on and if he was busy he would give her his hat to hold onto.

"You want to go now? Seems like a good time to sneak away, even though we do have permission so it's not really considered sneaking anymore," Ace said, chuckling when she shot up and started pulling him.

He switched her hand position and grabbed her hand instead, now walking side by side as they jumped off the ship, not turning back even when they were very much aware of the Phoenix following them.

"Are those bubbles? what is this place?" She asked in fascination.

"It's called Sabaody Archipelago"

"That's a fucking complicated name, I would've just called it bubble town or whatever," she said in a serious voice. "That's because you're simple minded."

"Oh yeah? and what exactly does Sabaody Archipelago mean then?"

Ace chose to ignore the question and ask if she was hungry. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head. They walked a little more, thankfully they hadn't seen many people because the people that were seen were very relentlessly glared at.

They both walked into a bar and sat at the bench, no longer holding hands.

"You know he's there, right?" she asked when the silence was getting to her.

"What? You mean your mom? Yeah, wasn't hard to figure out he was following us, probably because someone didn't wear their hoodie and had the whole damn world ogling," Ace said with a voice of mock and annoyance.

"Like I was going to listen to that pineapple head, besides I can take care of myself. Stop being dramatic, there was hardly anyone around and I could say the same to you Mr.I-feel-obligated-to-never-wear-a-shirt"

"Unfortunate time to come visit," the bartender said as she cleaned a cup in her hand, which seemed more habitual than actually necessary.

They both looked up at the woman, and Ace grinned. "Hey Shakky"

"Portgas" She smiled back and nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Who's your pretty friend?"

"She's our newest family member, Amethyst," he said smiling proudly making Amethyst smile softly at the expression.

"I don't know whether to congratulate you or apologise," she said, now looking at Amethyst with a teasing smile.

Amethyst gave her a sceptical look, not trusting her, she had never met any people outside of the Whitebeards but she didn't seem dangerous and Ace seemed to react fine to her, so she just sighed, a calm look on her face. "I'd accept both"

That made her laugh and nod her head in agreement much to Ace's annoyance.

"You act as if we're the worst people to handle"

"Please Portgas, the only people that could rival your crews' rowdiness is Red Hair and The Pirate King himself," Shakky said, amusement gleaming in her eyes.

Amethyst was confused to see Ace grimace a little, she thought that maybe he didn't like the pirates the bartender mentioned.

"Who _is_ the Pirate King? I mean I can kind of guess what he is by the title and I've heard about him but never heard his name before, surprisingly," She asked out of curiosity.

"Who _was_ the pirate king, his name was Gol. D Roger," A voice said out of nowhere causing everyone to look and see a man with long grey hair and glasses.

"I would know, I was his first mate, Silvers Rayleigh."

Said man sat on the other side of Amethyst, making her glare a little but softened when she felt Ace rub her arm in reassurance though he did seem a bit stiff.

"Rayleigh I was hoping to find you here," Ace said, losing most of the tension that was built up.

"Old man Whitebeard need a coating done I'm guessing"

"Yeah, not yet though, planning on hanging around a bit to show this one around," Ace said, poking Amethyst in the side of the head.

"New addition, huh? You'd think he had enough children already, surprised he doesn't have grandchildren running all over the place," Amethyst groaned at that, a scowl marring her face and slammed her head on the bar bench in front of her. "Don't even mention grandchildren in front of me"

Rayleigh and Shakky laughed at the girl and looked at Ace for an explanation.

"Pops has been bugging her for grandchildren"

Rayleigh let out a chuckle and went to put his hand on her shoulder in a sign of acknowledgement.

"DONT TOUCH HER!"

Rayleigh immediately stopped his movement and moved his hand back, a calm but curious look on his face as he looked at the now revealed, not really hiding, First Commander of the Whitebeard pirates.

"She doesn't like being touched, makes her jump so I suggest you don't touch her, took her awhile to trust us and she still gets scared," Marco explained calmly, leaving out the throwing across the room detail.

"Ah, I apologise then," Rayleigh said to the now alert girl next to him, who was glaring with an annoyed expression on her face but not at him.

"If you were going to follow us, couldn't you have kept quiet?" she snapped at the casual looking blonde.

"I was saving him from trauma, not everyone is used to your outbursts, you should be thankful I even let you off the ship"

"Like you could stop me, I'll just handle you like I handled Pops and the rest of the crew," she said glaring darkly at him.

Rayleigh raised his eyebrow at that. "You took on the Old man?"

She stiffened and scolded herself for speaking so carelessly. "She was scared and tried to take us on but didn't end well obviously, Pops saw her potential though, hence her being here," Ace said, trying to cover her slip up with a sort-of lie.

"Ah, must be pretty strong to be acknowledged by Whitebeard," Shakky said, now looking at Amethyst with a new sort of interest. "Devil fruit?" she shook her head, a bored look on her face.

"Hmm, so I'm guessing you're more of a Haki user then,"

Amethyst gave her a confused look before asking what that was.

"You don't know what Haki is?" she shook her head at the question, genuinely confused but not all that interested.

Suddenly, before Ace could explain, the fridge behind the bar opened and a piece of meat came flying out, landing in front of Amethyst who casually ate it with a guarded expression on her face that didn't quite match with what she just did.

...

An irritated huff from Ace broke the silence. "Seriously?"

"Do I have to ask? or are you two going to explain that to me because the girl seems a bit occupied," Rayleigh said, not quite making a surprised reaction but still very interested.

Marco sighed heavily. "You know for someone who is hiding from the government you sure are throwing your abilities around casually"

"I can tell these people are harmless and everyone was talking and I'm hungry," she said, cleaning her mouth with the cloth that was handed to her by the amused looking bartender.

"You realised that fast, why didn't you realise we weren't bad people when you met us?"

"Maybe because you people pointed weapons at me and tried to kill me, but I figured it out eventually, though I'm still on the fence with you two," she teased earning her a hit on the head by Ace who then received a hit by Marco and a dodged hit by Ace to Marco.

Shakky and Rayleigh were looking fondly at the three, they could tell they all had a connection to each other. Amethyst groaned in exasperation. "you guys are making me miss bread-head"

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow and looked at Marco for an explanation to who she was referring to.

"She's talking about Thatch, we've adopted a few nicknames since she's warmed up to us," he said looking down at said girl pointedly who just smirked up at him.

Ace then remembered something. "Hey Shakky, why'd you say it was an unfortunate time to visit? Something happen'?"

Her face turned grim "Nothing that hasn't already happened, the Auctions are happening all this week, so _they're_ walking around the place"

Amethyst leaned her chin on the palm of her hand looking up at the bartender with a bored expression "Doesn't sound too exciting, what are they auctioning?"

Before she could get an answer, she was pulled up by Ace. She looked at him confused as to why his face looked so tense, she then looked at Marco who didn't look much better.

"We have to go, it was nice seeing you guys again, see you on the ship later Rayleigh," Marco said in a calm voice but his actions were very frantic, the two adults were confused but noticed the change in posture and attitude of the two commanders and chose not to question it.

Ace had a tight hold on Amethysts wrist and pulled her outside without saying goodbye, Marco following behind. She pulled her arm away after ten minutes of being dragged and looked at the two of them, a glare of suspicion on her face. "What's going on? what was that about?"

"I remembered that I have some work to finish off and I don't want you wandering around on your own," Ace said, a look of seriousness on his face with a glint of desperation.

"Then I'll stay with Marco, he's already here," she said sceptically.

"No can do, I have paperwork to do, we need to go back, that means you too," Marco butted in calmly.

"I can take care of myself," she said irritated and walked off without them, in the opposite way of the ship.

"Amethyst if you don't come back right now, I will fly you back to the ship myself," Marco said, raising his voice, his tone demanding.

She froze on the spot and turned around, an incredulous look on her face. "Did you just order me to do something? What the hell is your problem?!"

"Just listen to him, please," Ace said, startling her when she noticed his voice was the same but desperation was also in it.

"Tell me right now what is going on because I know for a fact that the 'work' excuse is bullshit"

"AMETHYST! JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE AND GET BACK TO THE FUCKING SHIP!"

Her eyes widened as Marco yelled, no, shouted, no, screamed at her, she was glad that no one was around, knowing it would've brought attention to them, his voice was full of anger and the same desperation as Ace. She had never seen either of them like this, they were always relatively calm, especially Marco so she agreed, not wanting to anger him further and followed behind them as they lead her towards the ship. She saw them having a conversation that she couldn't hear, which she thought was the point. She felt someone grab her by the waist and was about to throw whoever the person was. Then they spoke.

"Have fun out of your cage, _pet_?"

She froze.

No.

No.

No.

That voice, that _damn_ voice, it couldn't be. But she knew, she knew no one else had this voice, that _distinct_ voice, she had it burned into her mind, no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it, it never did, she felt panic pierce into her bones. She **_knew_** it was him.

She saw Marco and Ace walking still, getting further away, she wanted them to keep walking and never turn back so they could run away, so they wouldn't breathe the same air as this _monster._

But then she saw them realise she wasn't following and made to turn around, she made a small unnoticeable hand gesture, holding their feet in place so they couldn't turn around. She saw them complaining, trying to move and then saw them turn their heads and look right at her, eyes widening and horror on their faces.

She smiled at them, tears in her eyes. She was terrified, she hadn't even turned around, hadn't said a word, hadn't moved a muscle and she was already feeling like her heart was going to burst, a burning in her back as she felt _imagined_ the pain all over again. She made another gesture to keep any sound from coming out of their mouths as she saw them struggling to get out of her hold on them and no longer wanting to look at their struggle to help her, she turned. One of her hands behind her back so that she could hold her control on them and she looked up, face emotionless and blank.

He was hideous, he was everything she remembered and more, the greasy blonde hair that had the scent of sour apples and sweat, the smooth, well-looked after but clammy, florid skin, the thin and chapped lips and his eyes.

The eyes that made her sick to her stomach, made her question herself, her being. A distinct colour of pale blue and lilac, filled with hunger and greed. The only thing different was the suit, he never wore that suit when she was around him... he never had to with what he would do to her, there really wasn't a need for it.

"Kneel, pet," he said, voice higher than the average man and filled with so much entitlement, she hated it, she despised it but she was glad that he didn't notice her two family members and with the same expression on her face, she obeyed.

She bent down, getting on her knees, hands resting on her knees. She caught a glimpse of a blade hanging by his waist, blade glinting in the light and felt her chest tighten but still making sure to hold her control, to protect the two people behind her at all cost. Then she put her head on the ground, in the familiar and humiliating position she wished she'd never find herself in again.

She felt his foot on her head, pressing firmly but not enough to hurt her, she could feel the smirk she knew was on his face but it was drowned out when she felt it, the small, barely noticeable increase of temperature.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, concentrated on protecting them, concentrated on getting them away from an enemy they couldn't defeat. No matter how strong they were, the world is an enemy that was too much for any living thing to handle. Her eyes opened, the colour of crimson taking over, she was over-exerting herself but she didn't care, she wanted them safe, gone from the sight of her humiliation. She made a harsher but still unnoticed gesture and sent them crashing through the door of the bar, slamming it shut and then created an invisible wall to keep them in, just until they were safe, just until she was gone and they were out of harm's way.

She felt the weight of his foot leave her head only to be replaced by a hand that pulled her up by the hair and she came face to face with the man she hated most, the man who's eyes reminded her of her disgusting existence, her disgusting history, her disgusting and _dirty_ blood.

* * *

 ** _'Why would whoever your father is, determine who you are as a person'._**

* * *

She was a hypocrite, a huge motherfucking hypocrite, she didn't even believe in those words herself, trying to convince someone else when... when she couldn't even convince herself... not with... not with him as her... oh god she can't even say it, she felt sick and tired, so tired. She wanted Ace, she wanted to have his scent wash away her fears but she couldn't be weak now, she had people to protect.

She stared him straight in the eyes, the same empty look that she thought she had gotten rid of, plastered on her face, her eyes still the colour of blood.

"You trying to escape, pet? You think I didn't notice the mark on your back? I have the world on my side, you try to get away from me again and they'll pay for your mistake," he sneered. Her expression never wavered, but on the inside she was afraid. she closed her eyes and forced the red away, it was dangerous, she's never exerted herself so much and in normal form, but if she had to do it for them, then she would. She opened her eyes, they were back to normal but her nose and ears immediately started dripping with blood, she could taste the metallic flavour of her blood on her tongue, at this rate, she was going to die.

* * *

 _"So, what's up with the eye colour changes?"_

 _"Well, I can do all my abilities and have my normal eyes but it would be dangerous, you see the colour of my eyes indicates the amount of power I'm using to back up the ability"_

 _"So what? like different stages?"_

 _"Yeah, you could say that. With my normal eyes, I can do everything but it has the least amount of power backing up the ability so it takes a faster almost instant toll on my body so I could die faster, but if I stop before that then I'll heal in maybe a few hours. Then the next stage is my completely white eyes, that has more power than my normal eyes, so I don't do damage as fast when using my abilities but I would be out for a longer period of time, half a day, one at the most but that's pushing it. Then the red eyes, that is the second strongest stage, everyone has seen it. Usually, I would be out for a whole day"_

 _"You were out for two and a half days though when you used it before"_

 _"Yeah because I used all three that day. When I unlocked Ace's cuffs and the cell and room door, I was using it with my normal eyes, then when I threw April and Thatch and turned invisible, I was using my white eyes and then you guys know when I used my red eyes"_

 _"That's it you are going to have power restrictions"_

 _"What?!"_

 _"Wait, red eyes is your second strongest stage? What's the strongest?"._

* * *

"Come on, pet, let's clean you up and see if we can fix that blemish on your back with our little reminder."

He started dragging her away, getting further and further away from the bar, from her family. She was getting dizzier as she trailed behind him, but she refused to drop because then her power would go out with her, just a little longer.

She watched blurrily as the bar disappeared out of sight and waited a little longer, just a little longer so she was far enough for them not to be able to find her, then she would sleep because she was tired, very tired.

and so she did.


	6. Chapter 6: Ash, Cinnamon & Blood

_**Disclaimer: It's obvious I don't own One Piece. Oda owns One Piece... *Sniffs* that monster.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 6.**

* * *

"Was I harsh?" Marco whispered to the fire-user beside him.

"Yeah, but we need to get her out of here before she see's something that might make her revert back," Ace whispered back, feeling pain twinge in his chest as he remembered her face when they were arguing.

"We'll tell her when we get back to the ship, we can handle her on the ship"

"Barely" Ace replied, chuckling a bit.

Marco smirked at that but it didn't get rid of the feeling of guilt that was swelling in his stomach as her silence stretched on. "I think we should apologise, she's too quiet"

"A bit too quiet"

They both turned to look at her when they didn't, more like they couldn't.

"What the fuck?! Why can't I move?" Ace asked, alarmed that he couldn't move his feet.

"Did we step in something?"

Something clicked in them as they searched around their feet and saw no substance that explained their stuck feet.

"Amethyst..." Ace hissed.

"I swear if she is doing this so she can run away on her own I am really going to forbid her from leaving the ship," Marco said, cursing under his breath, not use to feeling weak.

"This time I'll back you up on it"

They both turned to curse at the girl they thought was behind them but they didn't, more so they couldn't, 1. Because for some reason the words are coming out of their mouths in whispers and 2. Because they saw something that scared them to the core.

 _ **Their**_ Amethyst, the one they swore to protect, was far behind them, nowhere near the safety of their proximity. She had a fearful look on her face, one they have never seen before and all they could do was stare in horror as the man, the _Celestial_ behind her had a hold on her waist and then they saw her smile at them, now _that_ snapped them out of their stupor. Ace watched as her face turned empty and emotionless but saw one of her arms winding around her stomach and touching her back delicately, grimacing a little before her face went back to her blank expression and turning around.

His blood ran cold.

"Marco we have to get there **NOW"**

"You think I don't fucking know that Ace?!"

"It's him, the man that did that to her back! It's him, I can tell! Her eyes and her hand... We have to get there before... before we can't get her back Marco!"

Now Marco was thrashing, he knew what Ace meant when he said that they wouldn't be able to get her back and it wasn't about her being taken. It was her breaking, her losing herself again and going back to how she was and he wasn't about to let that happen, over his dead body.

Ace was frustrated that he couldn't scream, couldn't do anything but watch as she kneeled, as she swallowed her pride and threw out her freedom, just to protect them from the world, something that he swore to protect her from. He was enraged, that fucking bastard had dared to put his filthy foot on her head as if she were some podium to show off his prize, he felt his control snap completely, his fire was now out of control and before it could grab the attention of the bastard he was thrown away.

She disappeared from his sight.

He was thrown into a wall and dropped to the ground unceremoniously, he ignored the protests and questions of how he was, realising he had gotten control of his body again, he ran full speed at the slamming door only to bounce back.

"Fuck fuck FUCK! AMMY LET ME THE FUCK OUT RIGHT NOW!"

Marco stood up and saw that he had his control back as well and ran to the wall planning to ram through it only to have the same outcome as Ace but that didn't stop him from ramming himself into the wall, again and again, and again, blue flames sprouting out from his body as they quickly healed the wounds that he was inflicting on himself.

Rayleigh had gotten out of his seat by now and was trying to figure out what was going.

"She was taken by a Celestial! We need to get out!"

Shakky and Rayleigh were now in shock, Rayleigh got out his sword and slashed at the wall.

No scratch,

Not even a dent.

His eyebrows furrowed and he slashed it harder this time, layering the attack with Haki only to be left with the same result.

"My walls aren't that strong!" Shakky said. She was concerned as she thought about what the girl would be put through if they didn't get to her in time.

"Her power! She threw us in here and now she's blocking us out! FUCKING DAMMIT!" Marco yelled in distress as he kept ramming into the wall just for nothing to happen, not even a small dent or crack to show at least a little progress. He fully changed into his Phoenix form and rammed into it only to be thrown back as he made an impact with the unbreakable wall.

Ace had been throwing fire attacks at the door for it to just dissipate into nothing on contact with the door, he was now kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily, with tears building up in his eyes. "I'm weak..." he said, voice breaking "I'm so fucking weak... I can't even break through a fucking door and now... now she's gonna be taken back to that place again"

Marco was still smashing on the wall, trying with all his strength to just get through until he heard Ace, saw how distressed he was as he knelt down on the ground and his chest tightened and he fell to the ground, back to normal, tired and frustrated, infuriated that this was happening.

Rayleigh realised how strong the girl was and how she wasn't just some random girl that was picked up by the Whitebeard pirates, she was strong, stronger than she should be, stronger than anything he's come across and he hadn't even faced her head on.

"You can't save her if you're going to give up and mope," Rayleigh said, tone hard. He didn't want someone like her getting into the hands of the government, she was special, too special to be corrupted.

Ace stood up at that and stared at the door 'I'm getting through this door' and then he punched it, no, he punched through it, her block was gone and all three men were out of the bar at an inhuman speed.

"She's not here! I can't sense her, where the fuck did she go?" Marco said frantically, he changed into a Phoenix and flew up, scanning the area but he just couldn't see her anywhere.

"I can't sense her" Rayleigh said, distressed as he tried to use his Haki to find her, only to fall short.

"Marco! I need to let Pops know! Rayleigh can't sense her either!"

Ace started running towards the ship at lightning speed, just trying to get there as fast as he could before it was too late, when he got there he jumped up on the ship. Everyone was still celebrating, they hadn't been out that long.

"Had enough time exploring? Where's Marco and Amethyst?" Whitebeard asked, amusement shining through his voice.

"Pops! It's Amethyst, she's been caught by a Celestial! She, I couldn't get to her in time... she blocked us out and... I was too weak and I let them take her"

Everyone by now had become serious, a wave of shock and dread washing over everyone.

"Where's Marco?" Whitebeard asked, adorning a severe expression, seriousness taking over his body.

Marco came then, flying down to the deck and turning back to normal, looking exhausted and bothered. He couldn't even look anyone in the eye, he had failed and now he was here to inform his crew of his failure.

"Marco, have you seen anything, any sign of her?" there was a layer of desperation in Whitebeards voice, he wanted his child back on his ship, now.

He scrunched his hands up into fists as he felt the mood become grimmer the longer his silence went on, he felt their stares burning in his body but couldn't say anything, couldn't bear to feel their judgement, to feel his failure.

"MARCO!" the voice of Whitebeard roared over the silence of the ship.

He shook his head, heart clenching as he prepared himself to talk, he then straightened up, a serious and calm expression on his face.

"I found blood, a lot of it."

* * *

Amethyst didn't know where she was, she was lying face down on something cold and itchy, she felt a sharp pain on her back that made her turn around quickly, sitting up and backing away from the person causing her pain.

"Good, so you're awake pet, I had to drag you here for a little bit, you've gained a bit of weight since I last played with you and thought to get started on fixing that abomination on your back"

She looked around and noticed she was in an alley, it was a bit dark but not too much to not be able to see her, she looked to the side and saw that people were walking by and saw her but just ignored it, seeing the suit of the person that was looking down at her. She felt hopeless.

"Now now, pet, you know they won't help you. Like I said before, I have the world on my side, now be a good girl for your dear father"

Amethyst's face shot up at that and she glared menacingly at him, looking him dead in the eyes.

The man's eyes clouded with fear and shock at the look he was receiving but his shock soon disappeared, melting into fury and he raised his hand, slapping her in the face, the noise resounding through the stone walls of the alley.

"How dare you look at me like that? How dare you disrespect me? TURN AROUND!"

She narrowed her eyes into slits sending all of her anger into the glare, she had freedom, her father was Whitebeard and she wasn't going to let anyone take it from her, not even the world. She closed her eyes and opened them, revealing the colour red and then he was choking, hands scratching at the invisible force that was tightening around his neck, the knife that was in his hand, dropping to the ground.

"Whitebeard is my ONLY father"

He looked her in the eyes and she saw panic, pain, fear, anger, horror all flashing through his eyes, but she didn't see the emotion she wanted to, she wanted to see regret, regret for what he did to her mother, to her, to everyone he ever came across and then she saw nothing just blank.

Lifeless and dead, bleeding from the crack in his head.

She had killed him and she knew people had seen her, knew people would talk, knew people could see her mark through the ripped dress and knew that she had wanted to get back to freedom, to the ocean, to Ace, to Marco, to Pops.

To her family.

* * *

Marco, Ace, Rayleigh and Whitebeard were in his room, discussing their plan on what to do to get her back because they were going to get her back.

"We can try to get her back from the Auction building, intercept and grab her," Rayleigh said, calmly strategising, knowing the two commanders weren't in their right minds.

"I doubt she'll be there," Ace said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his emotions in control.

"And why's that?"

"The Celestial that took her, Ace thinks that it was the guy that carved those words into her back"

"I know it was him!" Ace shouted at Marco who didn't seem to believe him completely. "Her eyes and the way she grimaced and touched her back, it was him, do you think I would say it if I wasn't sure?!" Whitebeard had to calm him down before a fight happened that he was sure was going to be filled with things that they wouldn't be able to take back and going back to thinking of how to get his daughter back.

"You didn't sense her?"

Marco and Rayleigh shook their heads making him sigh.

"It could be possible that she's shielding herself, she is very strong and I'm guessing she was protecting you two from making a commotion, the impulsive brat"

"This was on us Pops, we couldn't get to her in time and now she might not even be on the island still, we failed"

"Nonsense, you two did what you can, she's stronger than even me, you couldn't have saved her. You did all you can and that's what matters, now we have to focus on getting back before the brat gets it into her head that she deserves to be there" Whitebeard said seriously.

Suddenly there were shouts and gasps outside that made them all turn at the noise.

"Is that... BLOOD?!"

Ace who was closest to the door sighed in irritation and went to check out what the commotion was about, after being told to calm down by Whitebeard when he noticed his shoulders steaming. Then the door was flung open, smashing against the wall, pieces of wood flying everywhere.

There was nothing there.

They were confused as to who had flung the door open when suddenly something started to form and take shape out of thin air, until there was a solid form, no, a person. Blood was dripping off of their fingers, a deafening dripping sound echoing as it dripped steadily out of every hole on their head, running down the once honey-coloured skin, blood was pooling around their feet. They were shaking and trembling as they stood as if it were taking all their strength to keep standing.

Amethyst stood in the doorway, looking at the people in front of her and let out a shuddering breath of relief at seeing the three men she wanted to see and then her eyes landed specifically on the one with the orange hat.

"Ace..." she whispered, feeling herself fall only to be caught and held in someone's arms, they were warm and smelled of cinnamon and ash, she wrinkled her nose as the scent of blood entered and overpowered the pleasing smell. She could vaguely here Whitebeard shouting, voice sounding dangerous. She wanted to know what was wrong, why did he sound like that? she frowned, or maybe she was already frowning, she couldn't remember, everything was numb and why was everything so blurry?

She nuzzled her face against the skin of the person holding her, she wanted to melt into the warmth of their skin and smell the scent again, the ash, the ocean, the cinnamon. She felt herself get dizzy again and her eyes started to well up with tears, she didn't want to fall asleep, she could finally smell it, her favourite smell, it was so clear, so intoxicating.

"...mmy, I need you to keep your eyes open okay?"

She hummed in response at the soothing voice, she felt like she was flying on a warm cloud, she was tired, she's so tired today maybe she should've listened to Marco and stayed on the ship, just so she could sleep, sleep sounded so good now that she thought about it.

"I'm tired" she whispered, curling in on the warm person who she felt lifting her, was that why she was flying? Was he making her fly?

"I know b-"

And then she was asleep.

* * *

She heard shouting, so much shouting, what was with all the damn shouting?! she opened her eyes and was greeted with a pounding pain in her head. Where the hell was she? and why was she in so much pain?

Oh, that's right, she had run into _him_ , but before she dwells on it longer, the shouting turned into a full on screaming match.

"YOU'LL LET ME SEE HER OR I WILL BURN THE FUCKING ROOM DOWN!"

She recognised that voice, but it was full of so much rage that it jarred something in her heart. "Ace," she said softly, surprised when it comes out raspy.

Ace's eyes widened at the voice and pushed passed the protesting nurse who then just gave up and walked off, leaving the two to have some time to themselves after warning him to not move her too much. He rushed to the voice that was calling out his name. "Ammy?"

He sat next to her so that his thigh was next to her head, back facing the headboard, he took her hand and squeezed, not wanting to move her too much when he knew she was in pain, by hugging her.

"Why were you screaming?"

He felt the unshed tears fall down his cheeks as he listened to her voice, it was soft and weak, like when he heard it the first time when he recused her. And now here she was again, in the infirmary because she was forced to save herself. This kept happening, he made promises and then they would get hurt because he couldn't save them. Did they have to get hurt for him to take it seriously? Was he ever going to be wor- "Ace?" she cut his thoughts off and squeezed his hand, seeing his tears and knew stupid thoughts were running through his head.

"Nurse wouldn't let me see you, so I got angry"

Amethyst smiled gently "She's just doing her job, idiot"

There was a silence and Amethyst closed her eyes and waited, knowing what was coming, the questions and the anger of why she prevented them from helping her.

"Why?" Ace asked, trying to keep his voice from revealing his distress.

Amethyst sighed and turned her head to the side a bit so that her cheek was pressed softly against his clothed thigh. She took in the scent that she had grown accustomed to and brought their hands up, cradling them to her chest. "Because I had people to protect. I don't want to talk about it now, I want to see everyone, help me outside?"

He sighed, deciding not to push it. "April won't be happy"

"Yeah and you aren't supposed to be in here, now help me up"

Ace gave in and helped her up, she didn't feel too bad and let go of him, not needing the support anymore and walked out of the room and out to the deck where she saw Pops and some of the commanders and crew, she felt herself ease at seeing them in front of her.

"Amethyst, you should be resting," Whitebeard said firmly but relief was obvious in his voice, seeing his daughter up and looking relatively okay. "But I'm glad you're okay"

"Nice to see you too Pops, you miss me or something?"

He let out a rumbling laugh, his well-known smile gracing his lips. "Brat"

Everyone started to greet her warmly, exclamations of annoyance and happiness at having their family member back with them but annoyed that she had refused help and over-exerted herself to the point of bleeding everywhere.

Everything was right in the world.

"You had no right Amethyst," Marco said suddenly, walking out from the ship, wearing a look of immense anger.

She forgot about that one.

Amethyst cringed at his tone of voice and sighed.

"Please don't start"

"Well too bad, because I haven't even begun to tell you how stupid what you did was," he replied in a strict tone.

"Marco, I'm really not in the mood, please just don't," she begged slightly, feeling a tic of irritation and purposely avoiding his eyes as he walked to stand a few feet away, facing her.

"Well then put yourself in the mood Amethyst, do you know the position you put us all in? How scared you made us feel?!" he hissed back.

"Now son, this is not the time," Whitebeard said wanting to simmer the Phoenix down before the argument escalated.

"Sorry Pops but I need to get this off my chest, she scared us all by not thinking of anyone else's feelings"

Amethyst eyes shot open and she met his glare with a fiercer one.

"You think I wasn't scared?!"

Everyone was shocked into silence at the tone of her voice, it sounded wounded and raw.

"I... I was terrified out of my mind, I was so scared, I was scared beyond belief. I felt my body shutting down and-and I just wanted to run to you guys, to hide, to get away from that man, that man who branded me, who raped me, who told me what I was and what I wasn't. That man who reminded me that my existence was disgusting, that I'm filthy and dirty and filled with his-his blood, his corrupted and revolting blood that runs through my veins and tells me that I'm nothing but a result of rape!" She was yelling hysterically, losing her mind to panic and grief.

"But I had people to protect! I had a family to protect for the first time in my fucking life and my freedom be damned, I wasn't about to let the world touch them just because I was some fucking mistake!"

Silence.

She walked back inside the ship and to her room, her mind was shutting down, her eyes started darting everywhere as she started to itch, scratch, scrub at her skin. She wanted it gone, she wanted to get to the blood that made her everything that she hated out of her body. She moved her hands to her face and went to scratch at her eyes, her sickening eyes that were the same colour as his.

"Amethyst stop!"

She heard yelling, felt hands pry her fingers away from damaging herself further, she fought hard against it but was weak. She was weak. She was gross. She was nasty. She was scum. She was trash. She was vulgar.

And then she smelled it, Cinnamon and Ash and her movements stopped, her arms falling to her sides and breathing started to slow down.

"It's okay, you're okay"

She felt her eyes well up, she bit her lip to keep from sobbing out loud. She felt the warm tears roll down her face and gather under her chin, then drip onto the person that was holding her together.

"Just breathe"

She felt herself being adjusted so that she was in between their legs, back leaning against their chest as they stroked her arms, careful to not touch the scratches that she left. She felt them place her head under their chin and lean back against the wall, bringing her closer and she closed her eyes, relishing in the familiar warmth. They didn't say anything.

"Ace"

"Yeah?"

"Who's your biological father?"

He stiffened at that, then relaxed, closing his eyes.

"...Gol.D Roger"

She was surprised but didn't make much of a reaction.

"Oh... why do you say that you're a monster because of him?"

"He was hated by a lot of people. Pops was his rival"

"We all do bad things, don't we? Must've been strong to take on Pops"

"...Probably not as strong as you," he said, ignoring the question.

She smiled. "That's a given... Ace?"

He hummed in response.

"Do you think, I deserve to live?"

He paused.

"...Do you think, I deserve to live?" he asked, repeating the question.

"Yes," she said straight away, no hesitation, making him smile a bit.

"Then yes"

"It's different though"

"How?"

"You only hate him because you don't know him and the things you do know about him are probably from people who don't like him, not necessarily knowing him personally, right?"

He didn't know how to respond, he knew she was right, but he wasn't going to admit to anything, so he stayed quiet.

"I like your father because without him you wouldn't exist, even if I don't know him"

"..."

"Can you say the same about mine?"

He tensed at the question. What could he say? his fath- _Roger_ was a pirate, that's why he wasn't known as a good person, why so many people hated him, but hers? He couldn't even say he liked him, couldn't say he was thankful for him because that would acknowledge him in some way and he hated the man, he _loathed_ him and wanted to kill him, so what could he say?

"I like your mother for giving birth to you"

She smiled at that, she liked her mother as well.

"Good answer flame brain"

Ace laughed at that, glad her humour was back.

"You sane again?"

"Yeah. Whitebeard is my father now. I made sure to say that to the bastard's face as I popped his head open"

That had him opening his eyes and looking down at her.

"You killed him?"

She looked up at him and met his gaze, wanting to see his expression when she answered him truthfully. "Yes"

He looked a little longer, no expression on his face, before smirking. "Good, bastard deserved it"

There was a knock on the door.

"I bet you a hunk of meat that it's Marco," She said, now smiling like she was before, feeling oddly content with everything, even more so than before she was allowed to leave.

"That's not fair, it's obviously your mom"

The door was slammed open and revealed a very small but very angry woman, looking like she was going to slaughter both of them if they even took a breath.

"Shit it's April, you owe me meat"

"What?! you thought it was pineapple head as well!"

"Get back in the infirmary right now! and you," she said, angrily, pointing at Ace. "You! are not allowed to see her for the rest of the day, now move!"

They didn't question it and got up quickly, moving to where they were demanded to go.


	7. Chapter 7: Trust

**_I'm mixing up a few events for my story. It's deliberate. Don't freak out too much, okay? Just thought it would be somewhat amusing, dontcha think?_**

 ** _Disclaimer: The only One Piece I own is the swimsuit... okay maybe I don't even own that, but you get the point._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 7.**

* * *

Nervous.

That was how she was feeling, she hadn't seen anyone since her little outburst, Ace because he was banned from seeing her, it had already been a whole day but his banishment was lengthened due to some choice words he had used to describe the Doctor, not thinking she was within hearing distance. Spoiler alert: She was within hearing distance. April had been giving her sombre looks that made her avoid eye contact with her when she went in to check up on her. She kept trying to tell her she was fine, both mentally and physically but the doctor wouldn't take her answer seriously and kept her in longer, much to Amethyst' aggravation.

Now she was going to walk out on the deck and her heart was pounding, what if they treated her different because of who her father was? What if they treated her badly? What if they started giving her looks of pity?

She took a deep breath and mentally slapped herself for being overly-dramatic and to just get it over with already. She decided she was going to act completely casual as if nothing had happened, yeah! that was going to work.

She walked out on the deck and ignored the inevitable stares of surprise and jumped up on Pops' lap as he watched her with analysing eyes, she lay down on one of his legs and put an arm over her eyes, breathing out a sigh of contentment and Nervousness at feeling the stares.

"You okay Brat?"

She didn't say anything, just used her free hand to show him a thumbs up. She felt herself shaking only to realise Whitebeard was laughing. "About what you said before, I don't care about who your biological father is, man or monster, you are my child and that's not going to change anything."

She felt herself smile in relief "I know Pops, thanks"

"So what is this I hear about you killing a Celestial Dragon?"

Her eyes widened and she shot up and looked at Whitebeard. "Did Ace tell you?!"

He chuckled, amusement glittering in his eyes. "No, he didn't. He didn't have to" before she could question it, A newspaper was being thrown towards her, she caught it and gave said, person, a questioning look. They just walked away not saying anything.

She looked at the Newspaper and noticed a piece of paper was out of place, she grabbed it and looked at it, a bored expression on her face until she saw the picture.

The person was standing with their back facing the shot, a well-known mark showing off from underneath the ripped fabric that was no doubt covering their back before, their head was turned, looking back at the camera, eyes crimson red and half their body looked as if it was in the process of disappearing.

 ** _'WANTED:_**

 ** _*PIC*_**  
 ** _ONLY DEAD._**

 ** _DEVIL EYES AMETHYST'_**

Wait, what?

"You have got to be kidding me"

"It seems you've gotten yourself quite the bounty"

She sighed in exasperation and ignored the cheers of congratulation from the rest of the crew that was around. "Yeah, but a hundred and fifty million? and the whole 'ONLY DEAD' thing, they act as if he was some kind-natured person who I killed in cold blood and not the fucking bastard who tried to carve into my back while I was out cold and couldn't they have made a better nickname?"

She felt a light weight placed on her head and looked to see Ace, an amused look on his face as he placed his hat on top of her head and sat next to her. "Well you killed a Celestial and I'm assuming they've known you for a while, your powers and whatnot and also the fact you have no weakness like Devil fruit users and you being part of Pops' crew, I'd say it's a perfectly reasonable first bounty" he said matter-of-factly "name suits you too, but I'd take away the eyes and leave 'Devil' more accurate that way"

He dodged a swat to the head and laughed at her scowl.

"You suck Portgas"

She went to say more choice words when she felt a presence on the other side of her and she looked to the person, seeing Marco.

"Hey, Pineapple head"

He didn't make any reaction and she then noticed the guilty expression on his face. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Stop with the look, it's fine really"

"I'm still sorry"

She flicked him in the side making him glower half-heartedly down at her. "I'm not, I probably would've never told you guys and let that out had you not pushed me with your annoying mother-hen-ness. And before you say anything, Pops has already informed me about not caring about all that life-before Whitebeard pirate stuff and how no one cares, so don't try and convince me cause I already know"

"So you're finally realising things faster now," he said, a lazy smirk on his lips.

She stopped leaning on his shoulder and shoved him away from her, rolling her eyes. "You sure bounced back fast from that"

He disregarded her remark and his smirk widened, making her cock her eyebrow. "You want to see something funny?" he whispered into her ear, leaning closer to her.

Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of funny?"

"Just watch... Hey Ace, you might want to read the paper, it's got news of your little brother"

She looked at Ace and watched him, seeing his expression light up and practically rip the paper out of her hand. 'He must really care about his brother'

She watched in amusement as he read over what was probably an article on his brother, multiple emotions flashing through his eyes, she was actually getting nervous at the severe expression that took over.

"THAT RECKLESS IDIOT!"

Pops who was reading the paper over his shoulder adorned a proud and delightedly amused look on his face. She looked to Marco and asked for an explanation.

"His brother broke into Enies Lobby to save one of his crew mates, Nico Robin and destroyed the place but not before firing at a World government flag and declaring war against them"

Her eyes widened and she felt her mouth fall open a tad. "He destroyed one of the three strongholds and declared war on the World Government?" She had come to the conclusion that the two brothers were crazy.

Ace had fallen into shock "I'm going to have a heart attack Pops, the rubber idiot is going to be the death of me, he's going to do something even more idiotic and I'm not going to reach twenty-one"

Amethyst had taken suit of everyone else and laughed at the fire-users 'pain'

"Who is this brother of yours? He sounds like more of a nutcase than you" she asked.

"His name's Luffy, he's seventeen and he's the captain of a crew called the 'Straw-hat pirates' he set sail a few months ago and he's aiming to become the Pirate King. I met up with him a little while before I met you when I was on an assignment, he was taking on a Warlord"

"As in the 'Seven Warlords'?" she asked in disbelief at the information of this younger brother that seemed like a bit of a handful.

He had ignored the incredulous question and leaned back against Whitebeard, resigned look on his face. "If you think we're protective of each other as a family, you have not even begun to understand the lengths that moron will go to for people he cares about"

"Wait, he's a captain? That's impressive" she said a fascinated expression on her face.

"Hey, I'm Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard pirates!"

"Yeah yeah, Mr.'third-in-command-while-my-little-brother-is-captain-of-an-already-infamous-rookie-pirate-crew'" he scowled menacingly at her at hearing her call his idiot kid brother more impressive than him.

"Brat has heart, I like him"

"Don't encourage it Pops!"

Amethyst couldn't keep the smile off her face as she watched him worry about his little brother. "You seem to love him a lot"

"He's my kid brother, of course, I do."

She analysed him a little longer and she could tell that there was more to it than that, he seems much too special to just be his 'kid brother'.

"He's a little slow and he doesn't always think things through" She watched as his expression turned soft and fond. "But he's your's once you have him and he'll give you absolutely everything"

She smiled tenderly at the thought of someone as amazing sounding as that, she vowed that she would meet this little brother sometime in the future.

"He's the first person to tell me he wanted me to live and I owe so much to him, I would've stayed in such a dark place without him. He was my light in the dark, an incredibly annoying, blinding, cry-baby light"

"It's official, I like this kid, I'm supporting his dream. Should be interesting to see him achieve it" she said making him smile softly at her.

"And now he's declaring war on the World Government, sounds more like a monster to me," Marco reminded, feeling satisfied at the expression Ace made, being reminded of his little brother's recklessness.

"Enough about Ace's weird family... Pops, I was meaning to ask, do you want me to heal you?" She asked, looking up at him. "You know I can return you to full health"

The crew who were listening in on the conversation perked up and started to press Whitebeard to let her heal him.

His chest rumbled as laughter spilt out of his lips. "Now, why would I want that?"

"Come on Pops, you should," Ace said, urging him to go through with it.

"There's no point in living if you take short cuts like that. We live and we die. Life is about living in the moment, conquering our dreams. We all grow old, my health is the result of my journey, now, why would I want you to take that away?"

Amethyst smiled in awe at the wise man that she was proud to call her father, some must've felt the same as they expressed their respect and reinforced their loyalty to Whitebeard.

"I don't know why you even asked, he was never going to go for it," Marco said in a voice that made it sounded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Worth a try," she said shrugging.

There was a loud bang and everyone looked to the noise, finding a slumped over and sleeping man, face-planted on the ground.

"I'm surprised he doesn't have brain damage"

"I'm surprised you think the moron doesn't have brain damage, would explain a lot of things," Marco replied to the girl, making everyone there laugh.

"Where's bread-head? Haven't seen him"

"He's in his room, he got back from an assignment yesterday, he found a devil fruit and he's researching it"

"Devil fruit, huh? sounds good for pranks, hope he gets something good," she said, now lost in thought at the ideas of potential pranks to pull, she hasn't pulled a prank on Pops yet.

Everyone sighed as they could practically see the gears turning in her deranged and demented mind.

* * *

Amethyst was now lying in bed, hat still on her head, though now readjusted to be on her face. She was taking in the scent, calming her rising nerves, she had to leave dinner because she felt herself starting to fidget, she felt like something was wrong, very wrong, it's like she wanted to throw up because her gut was bugging her.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in, unless you're an enemy then I suggest you stay out"

She heard an exasperated sigh "Why do you always say that?"

She shrugged, not feeling well enough to say a snarky remark. Her stomach was being a real pain in her ass. She felt the bed dip and shuffled closer to the wall so that he could lie down next to her.

"You feeling alright?" he asked after getting comfortable next to her.

"Yeah, totally awesome," she said sarcastically, earning a jab in the side.

"Must be pretty bad if my hat is on your face, you never do that unless you're feeling overwhelmed"

She huffed, why did he have to know so much about her? "Mm, I've just got this weird feeling in my gut"

"Maybe it's called hunger," he said making fun of her.

"Shut up moron, I'm being serious here. The only thing keeping me from freaking out is your hat, hence the face coverage"

"Well then come here and get a whiff of the real thing," he said, grabbing hold of her so now he was lying on his side, holding her against his bare chest.

"What do you mean by 'a whiff'?" She asked, nuzzling her head against his chest and grabbing the blanket, throwing it over them, though with the fire-user there it wasn't really a need. She felt his chest move a bit jerkily and heard him let out a chuckle.

"You think I don't see that you sniff me? It's kind of hard not to notice"

She mentally berated herself for being so careless to let the idiot find out her embarrassing, borderline creepy habit. "Well, that's embarrassing" She felt him chuckle again as the vibration of it was felt against her cheek.

"Don't worry it's cute, like a wounded puppy"

she scoffed in distaste. "Cute? That's a first"

"First what?"

"The first time someone has called me cute, I've been called a lot of things but cute is not one of them"

"Well it's true, you can be cute sometimes,"

"Sometimes? and other times?" she asked, wanting to see what he would say, not that she was trying to test him or anything like that.

"and other times... you're not?"

She almost scoffed again, not feeling insulted, but far from flattered. "You make me sound like I'm hideous and you're afraid to tell me, is that why you always make snide comments about my looks?"

She felt him jerk a little and look down at her, she looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow at the conflict that was on his face. "No! no, you're far from hideous, I just didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable by commenting on your looks, in that way, thought you might be sick of hearing comments like that"

She felt herself smile against his chest as she looked away. So that was it, he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. He sure took a weird approach to that but he had good intentions. She placed a feather light kiss on his chest, feeling him freeze a little in surprise, her smile widening against his chest again as she felt his heartbeat quicken. "Thank you"

She sensed him relax and felt something on her head, soft, warm and tender. He placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered against it, breath fanning across the top of her head. "You're welcome"

There was a silence, but a sort of tension was in the air that was never felt before, or maybe it was always there but they never had a quiet moment to dwell on it. It wasn't uncomfortable but it was strong enough to make them want to squirm a bit.

"Ammy?"

Amethyst just hums, shifting slightly so that she could look up at him, meeting his gaze that seemed a lot more intense than before.

"I love you"

He watched her expression as it contorted in disbelief, she then avoided eye contact, not knowing what to say to that. She had different kinds of feelings for Ace than with anyone else she knew, she felt warm and calm and happy whenever he was near her, felt safe and content just seeing his face, her heart would beat faster and she would feel as if she came alive when he would smile at her, but did that mean that she loved him back? She wasn't sure, she's never 'loved' someone before.

"What does it mean to love someone?" She asked when she could finally look him back in the eye. He was surprised for a second at the question, what _did_ it mean for someone to love another person. "Well for me, everything changed" she watched as his expression turned fond and thoughtful, she almost looked away at the intensity of his whiskey coloured eyes, boring into her pale ones.

"The sky was never the same colour, the moon never the same shape, the air never smelt the same, food never tasted the same. Every word I knew changed its meaning, everything that was once comfortable, familiar, stable and firm became as flimsy as a breeze because you came along, you made everything different... better. When I look at you I feel self-aware and my senses intensify and I feel complete... because you're beautiful, inside and out"

She felt her heart swell at those words, matched with the genuine and heartfelt emotion in his eyes and before she could process what she was doing, she buried a hand in his dark hair and met his lips with hers. Ace returned the kiss almost immediately, moving them so that he was half still on his side and half leaning over her, one hand underneath her and the other holding himself up beside her head.

She let out an unfamiliar sound of pleasure when she felt his body moulding to hers, she pulled away and saw him hovering over her with half-lidded eyes and she saw a new emotion in his eyes, one she's seen many times but this time, it didn't make her feel sick, she liked it.

"I think I'm getting sick," she said suddenly, voice sounding breathless and raspy.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, feeling himself get slightly worried, despite the want that he felt in his entire body.

"My face feels hot"

He chuckled lightly and placed a chaste kiss on her nose before pulling away. "That's because you're blushing"

She brought a hand up to her face and felt the emanating heat. "What's that?"

"It's when blood rushes to your face when you feel flustered," he said quickly before placing his lips back down onto her soft plump ones. She felt him lick and bite at them hungrily, making her let out sounds that were less than graceful but were music to his ears. She felt him move away from her lips and trailed kisses down her jaw, moving towards her neck and her breath hitched.

"Wait, Ace stop"

He stopped immediately at her voice and looked up to her eyes, seeing a twinge of fear that made him feel guilty for going too far.

"Are you sure, you want to do this?" she asked surprising him, why was _she_ asking _him_ that? "I'm used and dirty, I don't want you to do anything without thinking about it first"

He almost laughed at her but refrained from doing so and just kissed her again. She felt like her mind was being lit on fire and heat spread through her entire body before he pulled away. "I should be asking you that idiot, you aren't dirty in any way, shape or form, you're as pure as they come"

She beamed up at him and nodded her head a bit, earning a laugh from him, muttering something about being cute and she looked up at him, sincerity in her eyes, "I love you too and I trust you"

Her voice was lost as Ace closed the few inches and kissed her again more passionately, demanding and craving for her as the feeling of exhilaration bloomed in his chest at her words. And in the quiet stillness of the night, their Auras danced and twined in the darkness, coiling around each other until they merged to become one.

* * *

Amethyst took a deep breath as she came to, opening her eyes to see that it was still dark, she feels hot and sticky but surprisingly doesn't feel gross or perturbed by it, she looks to her side and see's Ace sleeping peacefully, a small smile on his lips, his hair sticking to the sweat that was on his face, he has an arm draped lazily over her bare stomach and she tries to suppress the bubbling giddiness she feels in her chest. She moves to adjust herself and the griminess finally gets to her and she decides to get up and take a much-needed shower. Carefully she removes the sleeping fire-users arm, making sure not to wake him up, feeling a dull pain in her lower region, she ignores it and gets up.

She grabs a towel and a jersey and a pair of shorts, walking out of the room with a towel around her, she walks to the bathroom, closes the door and lets the towel fall to the floor and jumps into the shower, turning it on and relishing in the warm water hitting her dirty body.

After she was finished and clean she got changed and walked out of the bathroom, watching steam mix with the air outside the room, like tendrils of smoke. She dries her hair and feels the hunger from skipping dinner. She walks out of the second division sleeping quarters where her room was situated and walks towards the kitchen when she saw Thatch's light on.

'Heh, I should scare him'

She walked quietly towards the door and peeked through the crack.

She gasped at what she saw and slammed the door open seeing Teach standing over Thatch who was bleeding face-first on the ground, a knife sticking out of his back. Teach had a chest in his hand, a smirk marring his features, confirming the feeling she had about him.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

His head snapped towards the door, a growl leaving his lips. "Amethyst, you shouldn't be here" he went to ram into her, seeing a knife in his hand, he was going to try and make her fall to the same fate as Thatch.

She ignored his advances and automatically made a hand gesture, eyes turning red as she slammed his body into a wall and held him there. He started making choking noises, dropping the chest and knife to the ground. He started to choke out words of help. She narrowed her eyes at him and choked him harder.

"You think you can call for help? After what you did? No one is going to help you"

She saw his eyes roll back, indicating he lost consciousness and dropped him harshly to the ground. She quickly ran and kneeled beside Thatch, eyes turning white and putting her hand directly where the knife entered his body, making to pull it out, so she could heal him when she felt an excruciating, intense pain hit her in the back, forcing her to the ground, she hit her head hard on the ground with a resounding bang and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Amethyst woke up, lying face first on a bed, she moved to get up, flinching when she felt an agonising pain shoot through her back.

"Don't move," a cold but familiar voice said.

"Marco? Where's Thatch? Is he okay?!"

She heard a growl of anger behind her and stiffened, now noticing the aura that was in the room, it was full of rage and it was so thick with tension that she felt her heart beating nervously.

"Marco? What's wrong?"

"You Amethyst," he started, a severe tone taking over his voice. "You are guilty of attempted murder of the Fourth Division Commander, Thatch and Second Division Member, Teach of the Whitebeard Pirates and are sentenced to banishment from this crew and this ship after you have healed"

She almost choked at the accusation, he can't be serious. "What the fuck are you talking about Marco?! Teach was the one that did that to Thatch, not me!"

She turned around, ignoring the pain in her back, sitting up and came face to face with an enraged looking Marco. "He did this to my back when I was trying to heal Thatch"

"No actually, our eye witness did that"

She narrowed his eyes at him now getting aggravated at the accusation of trying to kill her own family member, sure she did that to Teach but that was for obvious reasons. "And who exactly is this eye witness because they obviously need to get their eyes checked."

"It was Ace"

She froze, Ace was the one who did this to her back? and now he's saying that she was trying to kill Thatch and Teach in cold blood? "Where is he? He obviously misunderstood"

"ENOUGH AMETHYST! Your sentence has already been decided, now just stop making excuses. Pops has already agreed, you should be glad that we are banishing you and not killing you for your crime"

Her eyes were filling up with tears of frustration. "How can you not believe me? How can you all not believe me?!" she was losing control of her emotions, rage taking over and before she knew it, her eyes had turned red and she was forcing her way through the door of the infirmary, ignoring the blood she felt dripping from the burn on her back and she ran out to the deck.

"Where the fuck is Teach?!"

Everyone was on deck, commanders, crew and Pops, they all turned to the girl and she felt the wave of treachery and resentment that they felt.

"I didn't fucking do it! It was Teach! now where is he so I can kill that fucking bastard"

She felt a hand roughly grab her wrist and jerk her around to face them, coming face to face to Ace, his eyes cold and full of... full of hatred. "Stop Amethyst, I caught you red-handed, just stop trying to defend yourself"

She felt herself losing a grip on her mind, no one believed her, no one was even giving her a chance to explain what happened, everyone had turned their backs on her.

"No no no! Not you! anyone but you! You have to believe me... Please" she said, begging for him to believe her, to just listen to her.

She saw his eyes flash with conflict but soon melt back into hatred. "No, Thatch is in a coma and can't confirm it, but I know what I saw and it matches up with Teach's explanation, now get back in the infirmary, you're spilling _your blood_ everywhere," he said, spitting venomously at the last part, making her eyes fill up with more tears but this time full of betrayal, full of desperation.

"No please, I-I need you guys, I need this please-please just believe me I-I" her mind went blank, expression turning blank, tears stopping immediately and her eyes became dead and glassy.

She kneeled on the ground, face still blank and she placed her hand on her knees, bending forward so that her head touched the wood of the deck. **'Don't leave me alone'**

She broke.

Ace watched in horror as he watched her face turn emotionless and kneel into the same position she did with the Celestial and now speaking with the voice she hadn't used in so long. Why would she stoop this low to convince them? He knew what he saw, he had woken up to find her gone and went to search for her, hearing choked cries for help and running to find her kneeling over Thatch with her hand on the knife, eyes white and an unconscious Teach not far in front of her. So why was she doing this? WHY WAS SHE HUMILIATING HERSELF TO FURTHER HER LIE?!

"Amethyst, stop this now, accept your fate" a booming voice was heard. Whitebeard.

Amethyst then stood up, she felt betrayed, hurt and empty. She held the emotionless expression. She wanted to scream, to say something but she didn't, she was done.

She locked eyes with Ace, he felt his chest jerk as he could still see betrayal in her eyes through the emotionless mask on her face. She turned, not seeing him flinch when he came into eye contact with the wound he made. She ran at full speed and jumped off the ship onto the grassy field that was Sabaody Archipelago and clicked her fingers. Disappearing from sight.

Time stood still for everyone and no one bothered to go after the girl, there was no reason to anymore.

* * *

It went like that, staying docked in Sabaody, waiting for the injured to heal and the unconscious to wake up, it had been a week already and Ace was especially irritated with everyone and everything until he heard the news of Thatch waking up. He was now entering his room and looked at the Division Commander with relief as he sat on the bed next to him.

"Ace! Where's Amethyst?! Nobody is answering me when I ask, they keep giving me weird looks, did something happen, is she okay?"

Ace gave him a look of confusion "Why would you be worrying about her?"

"Okay, I get that she's strong and all but I can worry. Teach came into my room and started talking weird, asking about my devil fruit that I found and he took it, then stabbed me. After Teach stabbed me, I could still hear things and I heard Amethyst shout at him and throw him against a wall, she then touched my back, I think she was trying to heal me but then I fell unconscious"

"OI! has anyone seen Teach?! That moron left the infirmary without informing me and no one can find him, I'm going to wring his fat neck when I see him!" April yelled, bursting into the room.

Ace felt his blood run cold, he stood up suddenly and ran out of the room, ignoring the shouts of concern and confusion and ran straight to Thatch's room, begging that it wasn't true. He got there and his suspicions were confirmed, the chest that was there was now gone, nowhere in sight.

"Oh god no,"

He grabbed at his hair and bit his lip, drawing blood and kneeled on the ground, feeling his heart tightening in his chest, he made a mistake, a huge mistake. What did he do? what did he just do? what the hell had he done?

"What the fuck did I do?"

Flashes of Amethyst started to go through his mind.

* * *

 _"I was taught not to talk... but you people are different right?"_

 _Her laughing and crying as she ran into his arms._

 _"Don't expect me to say this again but... I'm so glad you were born, without you, I would've been stuck in there for the rest of my life"_

 _Her bright beautiful smile, that lifted her cheeks and scattered her freckles._

 _"Thank you for existing"_

 _Her smile as she protected him and Marco._

 _Her body covered in blood as she struggled to hold herself up when she returned and whispering his name in relief._

 _"But I had people to protect! I had a family to protect for the first time in my fucking life and my freedom be damned! I wasn't about to let the world touch them just because I was some fucking mistake!"_

 _"I like your father because without him you wouldn't exist, even if I don't know him"_

 _Her face full of sincerity, passion, innocence and vulnerability as he hovered over her._

 _"I love you too and I trust you"_

 _Her face covered in frustration and pleading for him to believe her._

 _"No no no! Not you! anyone but you! You have to believe me... Please"_

 _Her tears running down her face, desperation and betrayal shining in her eyes._

 _"No please, I-I need you guys, I need this please-please just believe me I-I"_

 _Her face turning blank and emotionless, her kneeling down in a sign of the last resort._

 _'Don't leave me alone'_

 _And then her standing, looking him dead in the eyes, emotionless but eyes full of betrayal and broken trust._

 _Her running away, the burn on her back that he caused showing, the partially burned Whitebeard mark making the bloody, pink and fleshy, bubbling burn standing out against the purple and the honey colour of her skin._

He scarred her, he hurt her and he broke her.


	8. Chapter 8: New Experiences

_**Updated version, I finished my last exam and re-read what I wrote and was far from happy with it, was trying to update quickly but realised quality is much more important.**_

 ** _Disclaimer: Is everything chronologically accurate? Then I obviously have nothing to do with it. Oda owns... unfortunately for my fragile heart._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 8.**

* * *

He couldn't stop the pain, the excruciating pain in his heart, what had he done? He told her he loved her, slept with her and then... oh god what the fuck did he do? the image of her face kept running through his mind, her words, her smiles, her laugh, her warmth, her smooth skin, her chocolate vanilla scent, her-her tears, her face full of betrayal, full of heart break... what had he done?

 _I love you too and I trust you_

 _No no no! Not you! anyone but you! You have to believe me... **Please**_

 _No please, I-I need you guys, I need this please-please just believe me I-I_

 _Don't leave me alone_

He felt the blood dripping from the open wound on his head that he had just made from the relentless and brutal contact it made against the wall to try and keep the memories, the guilt he felt at bay, it was too much.

The tears kept falling, mixing with the blood that was dripping from the cut he was making in his lip as he bit it to keep the sobs, the shouts of distress from leaving his mouth. He was trash, utter trash, he was worthless, a _monster_.

He burnt her with his fire, her beautiful honey skin that was already scarred, already full of evil scars and he added to it, he had added a permanent reminder of his betrayal, of him letting her down, of him staring her down with hatred, unrelenting and merciless.

"Ace, what's wrong?" The first Commander asked, worried at the sight of the fire-user on the ground.

"I fucked up, I really fucked up," he said through gritted teeth, how could he even talk after what he had done? he didn't deserve to even breathe.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Marco asked now feeling a dread rise in his stomach.

"Amethyst- she was telling the truth, Thatch woke up and-and oh fuck she was telling the truth!" he cried out, the images of her emotionless face wasn't leaving his mind, it was eating at him. He felt someone grab him by the throat and shove him into the wall, locking eyes with a severe looking Marco.

"What the fuck did you _**do?**_ "

Ace didn't fight back, just stared him in the eye, tears rolling down his freckled cheeks. Marco couldn't contain his anger but he let him go, they all didn't believe her, they were all at fault.

"Where's the fucker?"

Ace knew he was talking about, even if he didn't say it directly.

"Gone, took Thatch's devil fruit," he growled, feeling rage take over. "We have to tell Pops."

* * *

To say that telling Pops went bad would be an understatement, he felt like he failed, he had condemned one of his children to a life of being alone, because of a misunderstanding, because he had held the credibility of another child over hers, he hadn't even let her explain, didn't give her a chance.

He felt heartbroken for his loyal child and because of the child that had betrayed him, betrayed his father, his trust and his family, he had manipulated them all and they all fell for it. Pathetic.

"I'm going after him Pops and I'm getting her back, I promise," Ace said, breaking the silence that had taken over the room. Marco went to protest but was cut off.

"If you insist, if it will help your guilty heart, but be careful son. I feel Teach isn't all he made himself to be," Whitebeard said thoughtfully, the last thing he needed was an unstable child and a missing child. They mustn't underestimate Teach.

"...I'm sorry Pops if it wasn't for me, she'd still be here," Ace said, grimacing as he felt the pain in his chest increase as he remembered her face.

"Nonsense, we all pushed the girl away. No use in passing blame, all that matters is finding her as soon as possible," he said wisely to his crestfallen son.

"I'm going with you," Marco cut in.

"No," Ace started, Marco went to argue but was cut off "I have to do this, alone, Teach was part of my division and Amethyst... she's... she's my-" He scrunched his eyes closed, feeling his heart squeeze painfully.

"I love her Marco, this is my problem to fix."

Marco was honestly shocked at the confession, sure they were close but love? He didn't really think that the feelings between the two were like that, though now that he thinks about it, it really was pretty obvious. A sombre smile formed on his lips. "Do what you have to then, get her back"

Ace opened his eyes, a new determination burning in them and he nodded.

He was going to find her.

* * *

Amethyst had been wandering aimlessly for days she didn't know how long it's been exactly but she knew days had passed, she didn't know where she was, it felt like everything was numb to the point of forgetting everything, she felt her mind blurring but she was wide awake, conscious of everything.

She had run into many pirates, all that either gave her looks of greed and lust or looks of fear at the mark that took over her back. The wound was painful, both mentally and physically, she could tell it was healing, she wondered how it was that she couldn't even use her healing power on herself, would surely help quicken the process. Though she does independently heal very fast, she's come across many things that should've killed her during her time as a slave but she always healed miraculously, if that had anything to do with her powers... she didn't know but she was glad, as doctors weren't her favourite to see and with her fast healing ability it seemed she didn't need to see them much.

Her powers were a blessing but they came with much limitations and high risk of losing control and ending up dead, she hardly used them before escaping so she's quite reckless with them nowadays, which proves to turn the blessing into a curse pretty fast.

She was thinking about going to Rayleigh or Shakky for a place to stay or even just some help but decided against it, they're friends with Whitebeard so her 'betrayal' was probably spread already. Which brings her back to her negative thoughts.

Was it because of how she looked? Was it how she was born into disgusting blood? or was it how she was a slave? Are those the reasons? Is that why they didn't give her a chance to explain, because of who she was, her life? Is that what deemed her so disgustingly untrustworthy that they wouldn't even give her a chance?

She laughed bitterly, she knew that having hope, being happy was just something she would never be able to obtain in life, she was cursed and dirty and tainted, someone of her blood and history didn't deserve any of the good things she had experienced the past many weeks that she was on that ship.

She knew they would find out the truth eventually but could she wait for that? Was she willing to wait that long? Was she willing to go back if they came back to her? She knew deep inside her heart that she would but she was finding everything so difficult to comprehend.

She wanted to disappear, to leave and figure herself out, she was confused and her heart felt like it would never repair itself again as dramatic as it sounds. It had been messed with, broken, shattered and played around with so much that she was surprised it wasn't pure dust by now.

She lay down in the grass and looked up to the sky, the sky that was beautiful and blue but paled in comparison to the sea with which she had come to love.

And as she reminisced on the happy, now painful memories of the crew she was once proudly a part of, she cried, letting the tears be the emotions that she held and allowed them to trickle away into nothing, emotions were something she couldn't afford to let affect her, not anymore.

* * *

Amethyst woke up with a start, she had another nightmare, everything that had happened on the ship before she left, playing out in her head except this time Ace killed her before she could leave. She felt pathetic and gross, she really needed some clothes and a clean, no use wallowing, that's not going to help her get by on her own, she feels like all she's done since she left that godforsaken cell is cry, she's so motherfucking sick of crying.

'I need food and clothes'

She got up, clicked her fingers and became invisible, she walked to the closest shop and stole some clothes a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, nothing fancy, she needed something practical. 'Now food'

She walked around trying to find some food when she saw a man running through a crowd, he was screaming hysterically, she felt her heart race, he was wearing a garb and a stone cuff on his neck, most likely a bomb, he was a slave. Thankfully she didn't have that around her neck. She looked at the crowd of people, they were just staring pitifully at the man, it made her mad and before she could fully process what she was doing she clicked her fingers and his cuff was flung to who knows where. She instantly felt regret and doubt, 'Maybe I should've just left it, it wasn't any of my business'

The man froze, reaching his hand up to his neck, prodding gingerly as if he didn't believe the empty weight, the absence of the usual coldness that nipped at him and then he started to look around, trying to figure out who did it but to no avail. He stood up quickly and ran, to get away from the Monsters that were close behind but Amethyst heard him whisper to himself, a message to someone in particular "Thank you..." And then she thought that maybe her doubt was unnecessary.

She felt weird, it wasn't a feeling she wanted to get used to, but it wasn't all that bad, it was like she was starting to settle for life alone as if it were her only option now. But she didn't want to be alone, no matter how content she may feel if she gets used to it, after what she experienced, she's never going to be fully settled in a life alone not when she knew how it felt to have people, a family. She wished in her mind that she wouldn't stay alone for too long, she could already feel herself starting to fall apart.

She walked back to her usual spot to sleep after quickly taking some fruit and cleaning herself up and changing. She walked where no one could see her and sat there, dropping her ability and looking up at the sky, she was starting to get used to the sky, she never realised how much she neglected to look at the sky more when was on the ship, but who could blame her? The ocean was something that had no rival, it was stunning.

* * *

 _"Have you seen the sea, kid?"_

 _The ten-year-old Amethyst shook her head at the strange old man. "It's beautiful. As a marine, you can see it all the time. It's big, deep and blue" the man laughed as if that were something to laugh at, who was this crazy old coot?_

 _Amethyst scrunched her nose up at the mention of marines, she didn't like the marines, they were filled with wrongness that she didn't like._

 _"What's with that face brat?!" the man shouted, scaring the little girl who scurried to the back of her cell when she saw his expression, not mean or cruel but definitely insulted, and was he going to hit her? This man is mental._

 _"You remind me of my grandsons, I want them to be marines but they insist on becoming pirates. hmph! Like I'll ever let them become scum," he said, a look of distaste colouring his features. Pirates that she came across when she escaped were pretty rough around the edges, but if this man was of any correlation she didn't blame them for wanting to not be him. He was crazy and a Marine._

* * *

'That was a crazy old man' Amethyst thought to herself, she remembered that man had visited her a few times, either telling her about the sea or his job or his family who she remembered feeling sorry for. She tried to remember names, but it all came back as a big blur of sounds. She sighed and closed her eyes, her head hurt from just thinking too hard.

"Um excuse me?"

Her eyes shot open and her head snapped to the voice, she saw a little boy, holding a muffin in his hand, he had a look of pure determination that made her raise a brow at him. He walked closer to her and Marcos words of staying clear of children came to her... she brushed it off but continued to watch cautiously as the boy kept coming closer to her.

"I saw you and thought you looked hungry, I don't really like fruit, I like muffins and cakes so you can have this one, it's nicer than fruit," he said cutely and confidently once he stood right in front of her.

She stared at him and then looked down at the muffin, suddenly it was shoved to her lips and she glared at the boy who just had a small pout on his face, nudging the muffin to her lips. She refrained from hitting it away and took a bite 'It's not like poisons affected me too badly before' she thought to herself as she remembered a memory of poison experiments done to her, to build her immunity to it, didn't really work much but it helped to have a sort of tolerance to it but she still didn't particularly like the feeling no matter how much she could tolerate it. She swallowed the bite she took and licked her lips, looking back at the boy who seemed to brighten at the fact that she had taken a bite. "It's nice right?!"

She nodded, a blank look on her face. "You should smile, it makes you feel better, that's what my mom said," he said, a pout now back on his face, tears pricking in his eyes.

She gave him a wary look and smiled a bit, she didn't know why she felt the need to make the boy feel better, probably because he gave her food. He smiled at her and placed the rest of the muffin on her lap, staring at it a little longer before walking off.

"Hey Kid, you can have the rest," she called out to him, smile still on her face. He turned quickly around and ran to her, taking the muffin and beaming at her, his chubby cheeks lifting in a cute little grin "I like your voice," he muttered before running out of sight. She sighed and rubbed her temples in circular motions.

'I'm just doing all sorts of shit now' she thought to herself as she relaxed again, closing her eyes and breathing in the minty air mixed with the scent of sandalwood and rum. It was a weird scent but she was getting used to it, even if she did prefer a different one.

* * *

Another panic attack, tears had formed in her eyes, this one was particularly bad, she tried to think of Ace and his scent but it only served to make things worse as his smiling face would melt into a look of hatred. She couldn't breathe- no she refused to believe that, she can and she will breathe. She wasn't weak, she was strong, she had been alone for seventeen years of her life, she needed to suck it up and deal with it.

She closed her eyes and thought of the sea, the beautiful, never-ending and constant cerulean water and she imagined her breathing as the ocean wafting in waves, drawing back and forth and as she imagined the sea and it's calming azure waves moving back and forth, she matched her breathing with it, in and out, back and forth.

And then she was peaceful and calm, a small smile forming on her lips. It was the first time she dealt with a panic attack without the help of anyone else.

Maybe she could do this after all.

* * *

Her burn had healed fully now, thankfully. But now she was nursing a hefty stab wound, it was stupid really, she kind of deserved it too or at least she didn't blame the person for stabbing her... didn't stop her from throwing them into the ocean though.

See what had happened was, she had seen a ship and well she was getting sick of this place, she had ditched Sabaody nearly two weeks ago and then she was on an island she didn't know the name of, it was full of people like Namur and the trip was interesting enough for her to have a fill of excitement for a whole year. But she had spent too long here for her liking, it's been a couple days already and she had enough, she wanted to move, she realised she hated being in the same place for too long.

So it was only logical to jump on that ship and hide there, so she turned invisible and got on and went to sleep, only to be rudely awakened by a sword through her side, the man didn't mean to stab her, she wasn't even visible but it didn't stop from hurting like a bitch and the reaction of tossing him as far as she could, she pulled the sword out, threw it elsewhere and got up, flinching every so often.

She looked and saw she was docked on an island that was above sea level, she got off the ship, still invisible and very much injured and went to explore.

Over the past few weeks things had died down, she didn't get as many panic attacks although her nightmares were still pretty bad. But she was able to sort of have a healthy lifestyle. Well, not really healthy but she was getting by, She even socialised, she had come out of her shell a bit and talked to people, not very respectfully or kindly most of the time but it was a start. Now she had to find food and treat this damn wound. But like in true Amethyst-like fashion, things didn't exactly go as planned.

See what Amethyst had wanted to do was steal some food and so as she normally did, she clicked her fingers to become invisible but that didn't exactly go how she expected it to. She didn't know what was happening, she clicked her fingers to disappear, to turn invisible but she didn't think she would end up on a ship full of strangers, could she teleport now? That's new, although this was, give or take, how she discovered her other abilities, quite randomly. She felt almost instantly dizzy, this ability sure did affect her quickly... and why was it so dark here?

"Oi, who's that?"

"She's the vision of beauty~"

She looked around, steadying herself as her vision started to clear up, taking in her surroundings. She could feel that they were strong, most of them were, but one of them caught her eye, he looked familiar.

"She's hurt! Someone call a doctor," a little fur ball shouted, running around.

"You are the doctor! but more importantly who the hell are you?!" an orange haired, obnoxious sounding girl shouted.

"Devil Eyes Amethyst, the girl who killed a Celestial Dragon. Whose first bounty is one hundred and thirty million berry," a raven haired woman said, hand on her chin as she stared at her with an interested expression.

She watched as the long-nosed boy, the fur ball and the orange-haired girl backed up a bit, fearful _cowardly_ expressions on their faces. She then turned her stare to a green haired man, gripping one of his many swords. She glared menacingly at him and saw him loosen his grip a little before tightening it 'Hm, tough guys, huh?'

She turned to the boy who she thought was looking at her with a stare that almost seemed dumb but to her, she could tell he was analysing whether or not she was a threat. "You look familiar, what's your name?" she asked said, boy.

The boy perked up a bit in surprise and then grinned. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy! and I'm going to be the Pirate King!" he shouted gleefully, laughing afterwards.

'So that's where I recognise him from, he's Ace's brother' she was proud of herself, she never cringed when she thought of Ace anymore but feeling a pain shoot through her chest at the thought of him, his eyes full of hatred running through her mind was something that was yet to go away. She shook it off and looked back at the boy. "I know your brother Ace, I'm part- used to be part of the Whitebeard Pirates"

"Yes, I read you were part of the Whitebeards. Didn't know it was past tense though," the raven-haired lady said.

"There was a misunderstanding and I was forced to leave," Amethyst replied simply, telling the truth but not giving too much away.

"So you know Ace?" Luffy asked excitedly, beaming at the thought of his brother, she almost smiled had it not physically hurt to think about it.

"Mmm, I know him"

Luffy seemed to lose interest quickly after bouncing around excitedly.

"Sanji! Foooood!"

A blonde who had a cigarette in his mouth seemed to acknowledge him then and walk inside the ship, a very irritated but resigned look on his face.

"U-um miss, can you follow me please so I can treat your wound?" The furball asked meekly.

Amethyst looked down at the thing and nodded slightly, glare still clear on her face, she might not think that straw-hatted boy will do anything but the same doesn't go for the rest of them, she would've questioned the fact that she was sure this fur thing was a talking animal, but after things that she's seen and Namur, it wasn't that big of a surprise anymore. The wound was annoying her to an extent so she reluctantly agreed to go with him.

When she got inside the ship's infirmary she noticed how much smaller it was but not that it was any less as magnificent as the Moby Dick. She was talking to the fur ball and learning all the names of the crew and a brief history on them, she admits they are quite an interesting crew.

"May I ask how you got this scar on your back?" The reindeer who she found out was named Chopper asked.

"Just a consequence of the misunderstanding, Ace burned me," Amethyst said, reaching her hand to her shoulder and pressed the scar gingerly, running her fingers over the uneven dips and rises of the scarred skin, eyes shut, feeling herself falling into the pain of betrayal.

"I've only met him once but Ace doesn't seem like one to do something like that without good reason," Chopper said surprised but still taking care of the wound in her side, now stitching it up, but she didn't flinch, she was past being affected by physical wounds, she was stiff though, she knew he had a view of her back and though they were covered by a tattoo, the scars were pretty easy to see up close.

"The misunderstanding was that I killed a member of the crew"

Chopper froze slightly before continuing what he was doing, just as carefully as he did before. "You didn't right?"

Amethyst laughed bitterly and shook her head "No I didn't, someone else on the crew did and framed me." She paused, waiting for some type of reaction but got none, so she sighed "You don't have to believe me but... have you ever been mistaken for a monster? Just because people can't explain what they see?"

There was a silence that stretched on, a good few minutes of just pure silence.

"...I believe you, I can understand that. I'm done, by the way. It should heal fine. Surprisingly it had healed a little already by itself, considering you said you only got it today, it's quite miraculous. But the scar on your back looks like it healed a bit odd, the tattoo is slightly obscure looking in that spot"

Amethyst didn't feel the need to pry into why he believed her without much hesitation and just nodded in a sign of gratitude, not elaborating on the whole healing thing either.

She walked out without a word and back onto the deck where she saw Luffy sitting on the figurehead, she was quite interested in what he was like. She walked to him and stood near the figurehead.

He turned to look at her with the same grin on his face. "Do you want to join my crew? Oh... wait you're already part of another crew... but you got kicked out right?!"

She flinched at the direct words, this boy sure is air-headed. "No, I can't, I was just going to leave actually and yeah... I guess you could say I was"

"Why do they think you killed that person?"

The question startled her, his tone was serious and his expression the same, it didn't really suit him, he must've overheard her and Chopper's conversation.

"Ace saw me, he misunderstood what he saw and trusted what someone else said and not me and well he's been there longer than me so everyone else believed him"

She watched Luffy's expression, she couldn't decipher what he might be thinking, he seemed like a pretty simple person but she was soon realising just how false that was.

"Ha, Ace has always been like that, he doesn't always realise things fast," he said with a grin on his face as if it was nothing new. She was surprised at how inexplicably wise the boy in front of her looked. "Is that right?"

"Mm! but he'll figure it out soon, don't worry because Ace is Ace right? so it'll be okay," he said, a big and bright grin on his face. She smiled softly at him, he really is a big ball of sunshine. But she wasn't so sure if she'd be welcoming to go back just like that, she had her... well everything broken. It's harder to piece someone back together when they've already been broken before.

"Are you sure you don't want to join my crew?"

She sighed and shook her head, earning a small pout from him but soon melted back into his dazzling smile.

"Are you hungry? While you were with Chopper we had food, Chopper is eating now I think," he asked happily.

"No, it's fine, not hungry."

"I'm always hungry"

She rolled her eyes, why was she not surprised, of course, his brother would also have a monster appetite.

"Amethyst"

She turned to the voice and saw the raven haired woman name Nico Robin, the lady that Luffy saved from Enies Lobby, looking at her with a calm face but curious eyes, Amethyst sighed, this is definitely the one that's going to ask a lot of questions, seems quite intuitive.

"You're curious about me aren't you?" Amethyst asked, a resigned tone to her voice.

"Yes, I can't help but wonder what you did to get such a high bounty, not that killing a Celestial isn't big but there must be more to it," Robin said inquisitively. She then noticed all the other crew on the deck looking equally as curious.

"And why exactly should I tell you? I don't know you," Amethyst said in a challenging tone of voice. She felt a tug on her Jersey and looked to Luffy.

"You can trust her, she's my Nakama," he said with that grin still on his face.

"I don't even trust you Luffy, how can I trust her?"

He just grinned at her, as if that was an answer that would suffice. She sighed, this is one weird captain.

"Whatever, I'm leaving soon anyway, but just as I promised the Whitebeards I will promise to all of you. Anything dodgy or off happens and I'll pop all of your heads like a balloon, okay? I've made Whitebeard bleed, I won't hesitate to do the same to you people"

The three cowards from before backed up, faces turning blue. The blonde looked almost ready to fall over from the colour of red that took over his face, The cyborg guy looked a little apprehensive but the green-haired guy was the one that looked the most on edge. He's smart enough to not trust her as quickly, they were all surprised at the fact that she made Whitebeard 'The Strongest Man Alive' bleed that is if she was telling the truth.

"I have powers, powers that aren't from a devil fruit and are very dangerous that's why my bounty is so high, because they know that even if they do somehow track me down, they have about a one in a million chance of capturing me" she said, a blank expression on her face, purposely leaving out the slave detail.

They seemed to not believe her, how could someone have powers without the help of a devil fruit. She sighed in exasperation and made a hand gesture, a large orb of the ocean lifted from the sea and was placed on top of her, not touching her, just hovering.

"What the hell?!" Franky shouted in indignation.

Amethyst rolled her eyes and lowered the water onto her, making sure to avoid her head so that she could still communicate. "Okay so my body is in the water, so technically I shouldn't be able to use my powers right?"

They all nodded. A piece of meat suddenly came out of the ship and floated towards Luffy who was sitting down on a new part of the deck to watch and landed in his lap. Amethyst smiled lightly as he excitedly thanked her and ate the meat. She flicked her wrist and the water dissipated into nothing. She was soaking wet though.

"I'll get you a towel, M'lady!" Sanji shouted whilst swooning.

She glared at him and shook her head. "It's fine," she said and closed her eyes, opening them to reveal stark white eyes and suddenly her body was on fire but as soon as it was there, it was gone and she was left standing there now bone-dry.

She watched as their expressions changed, some had disbelief, others fear, Robin had deep interest on her face and Luffy looked quite excited.

"You have the same power as Ace!" Luffy said eagerly.

She was going to explain that it wasn't really but chose to just agree, he didn't seem like the type to be able to understand. "So now that you guys know a little more about me, how about I ask a question?" They all seemed a little hesitant but agreed.

"Where are you guys going now?" Amethyst asked in pure curiosity.

"We're going to Sabaody," Nami said.

Amethyst froze a bit before becoming as stoic as before. "Be careful and I suggest you stay clear of the Celestials I'm not sure if they're still there or goi- and you people aren't listening anymore," she sighed in annoyance, she feels like she's sighed a hundred times already.

"I like you, you're going to be part of my Nakama," Luffy said with a determined tone. Amethyst went to argue but the rest who were there just shook their heads saying that once he set his mind on something there was no changing it, no matter how you try to drill it into his thick skull and rubber brain.

"Rubber brain? that's a weird expression"

"It's not an expression, he's made out of rubber"

As a demonstration, he stretched his cheek as far as he could and Amethyst raised an eyebrow at him, 'What a weird ability to match an equally strange person' "It's cool," she said simply and she felt a warmth blossom in her chest at his happy and confident expression. "Ace says it's stupid"

She kept herself from laughing, "Of course he would, Ace wouldn't know what cool was if it hit him in the face"

Luffy tilted his head in confusion "Why would someone hit him in the face?" Amethyst refrained from smacking herself in the face at the air-headed question. "Nevermind Luffy, it's just a way of saying that he's not as cool as you" Luffy perked back up and agreed vehemently.

'This boy sure seemed like a handful' she thought to herself as she watched the boy then bounce around energetically, conversing and playing with different people of the crew. But as she saw his grin, she thought that maybe it was worth it. Still annoying though.

"Has anyone noticed how dark it is here?" Nami asked suddenly a tinge of fear in her voice. The whole crew looked around and nodded in realisation except for Robin who seemed to already notice but chose not to say anything.

Amethyst looked at them in disbelief, did they just realise that? This crew sure is slow.

"Yohohoho Yohohoho~"

A large ship came into view and they all started to shout 'Ghost Ship' except for the two older females who just watched, one sweating in disbelief, the other amused at the reactions more so than the ship, it was tattered and worn, the sails ripped to shreds and as it came closer the ominous singing became louder.

"Well, I'm going to go explore it," Amethyst said suddenly before it got right to the side of the ship and closed her eyes, opening to reveal red and ignored the screeches of fear from the cowardly trio and closed her eyes, clicking her fingers, testing to see if she could 'teleport' again. She opened them, eyes turning back to normal and looked to see that it had worked but now her dizziness came back and it took longer to get rid of.

She was on an unfamiliar ship that seemed to still be moving, she walked and looked over the rail to see the ship she was just on a little further ahead, she whistled to grab their attention as she saw them freaking out about her disappearing act. They looked to the sound and saw she was there before she could see their next reaction a voice called out to her and she whipped around and came face to face with... is that a skeleton?

"Hello, miss! How do you do? Yohohohoho, It's been so long since I've seen anyone, make yourself at home," the skeleton with an afro said eagerly, Amethyst made no reaction and just waited to see what it would do.

"My, you're quite the beauty... would you perhaps... show me your panties"

Amethyst glared, she made a hand gesture and the cup he was holding smashed into the side of his head. He fell over and before he could say anything, her eyes turned red and she clicked her fingers again and appeared back on the straw hat ship.

"Don't do that!" Usopp shouted in fright when she appeared right in front of his face, falling over in fear at her appearing and red eyes.

"What'd you see?" Franky asked.

She shrugged, holding the tissue that Sanji had given her to her now bleeding nose, eyes turning back to normal and nudged her head to the side in a gesture towards the 'Ghost Ship' "It'd be better to experience it yourself, so you all going?"

There was a debate between who went until it was decided for Nami, Sanji and obviously the very eager and excitable captain, Luffy to go.

This was going to be interesting maybe she would hang around for a little longer.

* * *

It had been a nearly a month since he went and looked for both people, he found one of them, the traitor, he was dark and evil, in more ways than one and he underestimated him, he let his emotions take control of him.

* * *

 _"Commander! How's Thatch, I heard through a few people that he made it, how lucky. Better yet How's your little girlfriend? You find her yet?" Teach now known as Blackbeard said in a tone full of a mix of Genuity and mock._

 _"Knock it off! Commander is a word only those respectful of the person can use, quit mocking"_

 _"Oh come on Commander! Why don't you join my Nakama? We'll rule the world together. First, I'll go to water seven from here to kill Strawhat Luffy and hand him over to the government"._

* * *

He couldn't stomach the thought of him touching his brother, his bungling little brother who he loved dearly. And now he is paying the price for not being strong enough. Paying the price for his sins and the sins of his biological father.

It was so dark, everything was dark and felt meaningless, he felt cold, inside and out, he felt weak and helpless and he hated it, he hated the torture he was being forced to endure, he hated the cold of the concrete that nipped at his usually heated skin, he hated the stone at the back of him and the chains and cuffs that held him, that weakened him, that caged him like he was an animal, a monster... He was a monster. He had failed so many people, Pops, Marco, Thatch, his entire family and he failed her, Amethyst, the girl that he had grown to love so deeply in a way he's never loved someone before, he swore to protect her and failed.

Now he was going to fail his brother, his little light who made him realise things he couldn't. Even as dimwitted as his brother was, he always did realise certain important details faster than him. He was going to break his promise to him. He was worthless, he couldn't protect anything.

He promised he wouldn't but now... now he was going to break that promise, he was set to disappear soon.

Soon he was going to die.


	9. Chapter 9: Perchance To Dream

_**Disclaimer: Yup still no... is Thatch dead? Then I don't own it. This is an AU after all. Bye.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 9.**

* * *

Amethyst quickly found out how crazy yet dedicated this crew was, from how they had agreed to fight a warlord, to the amount of stress, pain and determination of the Captain and the loyalty of the crew. She realised that the swordsman was particularly loyal. He had taken the pain and stress that Luffy had obtained through the fight and put it in himself, she would've stopped it but was sidelined through the whole battle, something about 'Not taking the easy way out' and how her powers 'took all the fun out of the challenge of the adventure' so she stayed on the ship, for the most part. She teleported to the battle at different times, to see how they were going and making sure they didn't die if it looked like they were about to, which thankfully she didn't have to. There was a time she did have some fun where she beat up a few zombies though, 'beat up' being an over-exaggerated term.

* * *

 _She was lying down, trying to keep a pounding headache at bay. She had just teleported back from inside the castle, it was really weird and she couldn't find anyone so she came back._

 _She shot up from her position as she heard noises from inside the ship. She waited for the people to come out so she could ambush them, to which she did. It was quite unfair actually, they couldn't see her and she was honestly overly powerful, just one flick of the wrist and they were floating or sinking in the ocean._

 _She went inside the ship and looked to see where the noise came from and saw Zoro, Sanji and Luffy in a heap on the floor. She sighed 'So much for being the strongest of the crew'. She walked to them and nudged them with her foot, to see if they were still with the living, she saw their chests moving up and down and felt relief flood her, she didn't even realise she was worried in the first place._

 _"Hey weaklings, wake up!" she shouted. Only to be greeted with silence. She kicked them and received the same silence. She kicked harder and still nothing. At this point she was aggravated, she had a short fuse and her headache was still bothering her so she used her ability and lifted then slammed all three into the floor... hard. But still nothing._

 _"Well, might as well have fun while they're out of it," she said sinisterly and proceeded to violate their faces, stretching and prodding them, using objects that she found to make them look even more ridiculous and seating them oddly on individual chairs._

 _"Now finishing touch... a bow for you... put your hat back on your head and why not just throw caution to the wind and put a boot on your head"_

 _She stepped back and examined her masterpieces, a grin of satisfaction on her lips, she didn't know them long enough to use her usual trickery so this would suffice. She then walked out and back to her corner on the deck, waiting for the rest of the crew to inevitably show up._

* * *

She watched as they celebrated and heard the story of the Skeleton named Brook and his past crew, she felt bad for him, must've been hard to see that and be stuck to wander for so long, alone.

She felt curiosity rake over her as she saw something unfamiliar and quite interesting looking, she'd never seen something like it.

"What's that?" Amethyst asked the skeleton who was sitting on a stool in front of something peculiar looking.

"What do you mean Amethyst-san?" he asked confused.

She walked closer and touched the object of curiosity, she caught the attention of most of the people in the room who were as confused as the skeleton. "This black thing, it looks weird, I've never seen it before"

They were all shocked, she hasn't seen it before? "It's called a piano, it makes music," Brook said with growing curiosity.

"Music? What's music?" she asked in genuine interest, completely oblivious to the stares she was getting it.

"You don't know what music is?!" nearly all of them shouted at her, she got startled by the shouts and looks of disbelief.

"Am I suppose to know what music is?" she asked tilting her head to the side innocently.

"This is truly shameful!" Brook shouted and quickly proceeded to prod at the weird contraption in front of him.

Amethysts eyes widened in fascination as sounds came out of the object as he touched it, it was a weird sensation to hear, there were high sounds and low sounds and they mixed perfectly together, it was like nothing she had ever heard before, it was loud and happy sounding and the sound spread through the air and noticeably affected everyone else there as if it were some physical drug that then made them start to talk along with the music. She found herself smiling, her heart was pounding animatedly as if it were answering to the soothing sounds of 'music'

She hadn't noticed the music had stopped until a voice interrupted her entrancement. "Amethyst-san?" she looked to the skeleton and her smile widened "It was beautiful and this piano is the maker of music?"

Everyone who was listening and watching her reaction laughed at the innocence that they didn't think was there when they initially met her.

"This piano makes music but a piano is under a category called instruments and there are many different instruments. Instruments make music like a piano but sound different depending on the instrument and sound even better if you have many instruments playing music at the same time," Brook explained proudly as if music was his soul, which she found was quite true.

"Instruments make music, what was that thing you guys did when you talked along with the music, is that under instruments?" she asked and they all felt their hearts soften at the portrayal of innocence she kept showing.

"Singing, it's called singing, did the Whitebeards not sing?" Robin asked interested with how the girl didn't know of these things.

"Well, when we celebrate it would be loud and happy too but there was no singing or music, there are so many people on the ship that I guess the shouts and laughter could be considered music in a way," Amethyst said shrugging nonchalantly.

"Amethyst do you mind if I ask why you don't know about this? It's really something that is everywhere, it'd be hard or more next to impossible to not to know about it" Nami asked softly, wanting to know more about the mysterious girl.

Amethyst leaned against the piano and looked around at all the curious faces and she decided to just tell them, she could just kill them if they reacted badly. Hopefully, they didn't react badly.

"I was born a slave to the Celestial Dragons"

The room turned tense and melted instantly into a solemn mood. Luffy visibly tensed, looking down and Amethyst glanced at him worriedly before turning her attention away. "As I was born a slave I was moved from cell to cell, Celestial to Celestial and never really got the chance to hear that stuff, it just wasn't a possibility, I never really saw or experienced the outside world," she said. Everyone looked saddened for her but she waved it off and told Brook to play more music. So he did and things went back to how they were before she made the mood tense but she still noticed glances of pity and sympathy thrown her way to which she ended up glaring annoyed at them.

She felt something warm on her leg and looked down to see Chopper hugging it. "Sorry, Amethyst," he said quietly, clinging to her leg. She resisted the urge to shout at him for reacting like that and patted his head. "It's alright, It's in the past, okay?"

Suddenly she felt a mess of limbs wrap around her and she fell on her back, groaning at the dull pain that shot through her side. She felt a heavy weight sitting on her, arms wrapped around her at an alarming amount like they wrapped and wrapped and wra- well you get it. She looked down and saw a mess of obsidian hair, a head laying on her stomach. "Luffy? What the hell?!"

"It's okay," he said simply, his voice sounded strained and she was confused. "What are you talking about? You okay?" she asked feeling somewhat worried about his tone of voice. He looked up so that she could finally see his face and he was a grinning, but it was different, there was a shadow that she couldn't explain. "It's okay," he repeated in a softer, clearer voice, grin softening and big brown eyes boring into her pale lilac ones.

Then it clicked, he was saying it was okay to feel like she wasn't okay, he was worried about her bottling it up and waving it off and wanted her to show her true feelings. She felt her eyes get teary 'these brothers were fucking annoying' she thought to herself feeling exasperated and delighted all at once. She flicked the rubber person in the head and gave him a half-hearted scowl. "I know that moron, thank you... Now get off me, I'm powerful, not strong so you're heavy"

He got off her, limbs retracting back to normal and jumped back on his feet, bouncing away excitedly back to the feast. She looked around and saw people looking at her with soft smiles, then going back to what they were doing.

"Shitty rubber brain, knocking down a lady," she heard an annoyed mutter and looked up to see Sanji, supporting an unimpressed expression it was also mixed with rage that she could tell he was suppressing, a smoke between his lips and he was holding his hand out for her to take. She didn't particularly care for this guy's perverted personality but pushed down the slight distaste and took his hand. He gently hoisted her back up on her feet and walked back to where he was, not saying a word. Weird.

She didn't expect this kind of reaction.

But she was glad she didn't have to kill anyone, she wouldn't admit it but she didn't really have the heart to do it.

* * *

The crew had a new addition to their crew later that night and he matched very well with the weirdness that was the Straw Hats.

Now they were off to Sabaody again... if they didn't somehow get stopped by something on the way. Amethyst still had to figure out whether she was staying or not. She had warmed up to them but she didn't feel like she belonged, she felt the warmth of family but it just wasn't hers.

"How the hell is he so hyper? and why the hell is Zoro so the opposite?! I can't put my finger on it!" Nami said in annoyance and disbelief at her hyper captain bouncing all over the place as if he didn't just over use and abuse his body.

"Some things are best to leave as a 'Mystery' as Luffy puts it best," Amethyst said smiling to herself, Nami looked at her, she could tell that she knew something that she didn't. But she let it go if anything she knew the girl wasn't much for revealing a lot, she was surprised she even answered the question she asked last night.

"Amethyst, do you mind telling me about your scars on your back? I didn't mention it before because I just met you but now, do you mind telling me?" Chopper asked suddenly, a timid expression adorning his face, he saw the carving in her back when he was patching her up and they were truly gruesome.

"No can do fur ball, already said more than I should, maybe sometime in the future," Amethyst said, softening her glare that immediately reached her face at the question and offered a small smile so he wouldn't look so scared of her. Chopper nodded and scurried off back to the ship, followed by Robin and the rest of the crew after bidding farewell to the people they had met.

"Am!" Luffy called, he couldn't pronounce her name properly so he shortened it, Amethyst turned to the voice and walked towards the boy. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to be staying for a while?"

Amethyst thought about it, it wasn't a bad idea, she could figure out some things while she stayed with them and they weren't the worst company in the world, she could argue that it wasn't the best either but then she'd be here all day. "If that's okay with the captain"

He grinned and bounced excitedly, agreeing just as eagerly.

"Luffy! That paper that Ace gave you, where is it?" Nami asked suddenly making the two turn to her.

Luffy bounced over to her and the big lady who was holding a piece of paper in her hand and some other people that they had saved along with many others that were trapped on this ship island. He pulled out a piece of paper that wasn't much of a paper, more so a mysteriously burning corner of a piece of paper, weird. He held the paper out so they could look at it.

"Oh, it's burning a bit and getting smaller," he said in surprise.

"Show me that!" Lola shouted, getting visibly blue in the face, what was with that expression.

"This paper isn't an ordinary paper, it's called a Vivre card, it's virtually indestructible. They're only made in the New World, you can take a piece of your fingernail to a shop and they can add in a mix and make a special paper for you and that is what this is. It's called a Vivre card or 'Paper of Life' You can tear off a piece of it and give it to friend,"

She placed her mothers Vivre card that she had on the ground and it started to move on its own.

"This paper will allow you to meet with the one who the paper was made from, no matter where in the world that they are, but..." her face was getting bluer as she explained and kept staring at the burning paper, sweat forming on her forehead.

"But what Lola?" Nami asked.

"This paper also represents the life force of its owner. Say, does this belong to someone important to you?" Lola asked, looking towards Luffy.

Luffy grinned proudly and happily. "It's my big brother's!"

Lola stared at the card, she just kept staring at it as if it were something blasphemous as if there was something very wrong with it and it was growing dread in Amethysts chest. "What the hell is with your expression?! Just spit it out already!" Amethyst shouted bothered by the silence that was stretching.

"I'm sorry to say this but... this person's life is vanishing..."

Amethysts eyes enlarged, she felt her heart hammering achingly against her chest. "No, that's not possible!"

Lola shook her head pitifully, not saying anything, Luffy and Nami looked appalled and worried, but Amethyst was freaking out on the inside, trying not to reveal it.

"Sorry Luffy, I have to go see if he's okay, I can't travel with you," Amethyst said tightly, hands clenched into fists, knuckles turning white. Luffy appeared to relax and smile a bit.

"Ace will be fine, Ace is Ace, he's strong, you shouldn't worry about him. Stay," Luffy said reassuringly. Amethyst looked at him, trying to grasp why he wouldn't be feeling the same but agreed reluctantly and they walked back to the ship.

If anyone knows Ace it's his brother, right? they were heading to Sabaody so it should be fine, if they're still there she can check up on them.

* * *

As they got to Sabaody Amethyst couldn't get rid of the feeling in her chest that something just wasn't right. She was momentarily distracted from it as she saw the happy little captain she had come to know punch a Celestial in the face, a severe expression on his face, she felt fear and pride seeing it, he was either brave or a total idiot and judging by what she's seen it was a definite mix of both. She took quite an amused liking to this red-head Kid person, she messed with him whilst she was invisible, some pretty amusing reactions out of him and the guy with the weird hat.

* * *

 _"Would you stop fucking touching me?!"_

 _"I'm not touching you"_

 _"Then who the fuck is touching me?!"_

 _Amethyst clicked her fingers and became visible again, a smirk on her face. "Yo"_

 _The red head and the one with the hat turned to the girl who had just appeared out of thin air._

 _"You're Devil eyes Amethyst," The red head said angrily._

 _She cringed internally at the name, she just couldn't get used to it, it was so weird. "What of it period head?" She saw him become physically enraged and snapped her fingers, becoming invisible again, laughing as she ran off._

 _"Fucking bitch!"_

* * *

Now they were in Shakky's Bar as Rayleigh had saved them, apparently, he got captured since Amethyst last saw him, he also showed this cool ability that she has never seen before, she heard about it though but to see it was very different.

"So this is where you were Amethyst, The Whitebeards were looking for you," Rayleigh said in amusement.

"I didn't do it," Amethyst snapped in irritation.

"I know, they were looking to bring you back, they found out Teach was lying when Thatch woke up and Teach ran off with his Devil fruit"

The Straw Hats congratulated her, some in relief that she told the truth but all of them for genuinely being happy for her and she couldn't help feel a giddiness in her chest, 'took them long enough'. She was so relieved and thrilled to know that Thatch was okay, the stupid fool had her worried.

"You okay Amethyst?" Rayleigh asked, concern laced in his voice. She then realised her nose was bleeding and grabbed the held out cloth that Shakky gave her and held it to her nose, blowing and wiping so that it would stop quickly. "Yeah, found out a new ability and I've used it a lot"

"Be careful, your powers are something that no one has an explanation to, who knows what bad effects it has on your body," he said scolding her a little to which he received a death glare, she already knew the effects, she didn't need someone to treat her like some child.

"WAIT! you know Silvers Rayleigh?!" Usopp shouted in disbelief.

"Come on Usopp, she's part of the Whitebeards it can't be that surprising anymore," Nami said factually.

"About the Whitebeards, they actually left not too long ago, didn't get a coating done and just left, didn't end up going any further and turned back," Shakky cut in.

"Talking about the coating, I should get to coating your ship. Take care of Hachi while I'm gone," Rayleigh said referring to the injured Fishman, who they had come to befriend and walked out, happy to get away from the glaring child.

"Why is he still sulking like an idiot?" Amethyst asked annoyed at the sulking blonde in the corner of the bar.

"Well you did say his cooking wasn't as good as that Thatch person," Nami said amused and annoyed at the sulking as well.

"I still said it was good, didn't I? Whatever... I'm not in the mood" Amethyst was feeling the dread now clawing at her, first Ace's life paper thing and now The whole crew just leave with no explanation. What the hell is going on exactly?

"I need to go and check out what's happening," Amethyst said abruptly not being able to hold out on investigating if they're okay any longer. Luffy frowned and went to protest but she cut him off.

"I know he is strong Luffy but he's also very reckless, I can't just stand around and not know if he's okay," Amethyst said softly, but she was feeling desperate and getting more nervous as flashes of the Vivre card kept going through her head.

"You love him don't you?" Robin spoke up, Amethyst snapped her head towards her and gave her a scrutinising glare. "I can tell, I'd be interested to hear the story behind that"

Amethyst felt herself deflate under the stares of all the people there. "Yes, I do. Don't ask me why I'm deciding to tell you all this because I don't really have an explanation myself. But as most of you know I was born a slave to the Celestials."

Even though they found that out already, they all still looked at her with varying expressions, pity, empathy, sympathy and some had next to no expression at all, the people who didn't know, Pappug, Hachi, Shakky, Camie and Zoro who was out of it when she told people had expressions of shock but they stared at her, all waiting for her to continue.

"I escaped-or more like was rescued a few days before my eighteenth birthday, though I like to say I was forced to leave" she laughed as she carried on "And the person who saved me was Ace, he pushed me to take a risk and start to live for myself. I passed out a little bit after and when I woke up, I was on the ship and was surrounded by sights I was unfamiliar with and well you could say all hell broke loose"

She smiled a bit in amusement at the thought. "Remember how I said that I made Whitebeard bleed?" They all nodded and she grinned at the looks of disbelief, they still didn't believe her.

"Well as 'hell broke loose' I nearly killed him and a third of the crew but then Ace... Ace came to me and he calmed me down, even though I was killing his family he was worried about me, he wanted to make sure I was okay and I didn't go through with something that I would ultimately regret... and then I passed out again" They all laughed, Zoro giving her a look as if she was weak to which she shot a glare back.

"Then I woke up again and thankfully I didn't freak out but I was far from trusting and Ace wasn't there, so I was very cautious. He came back though and shortly after that he saw my back" she saw the looks of confusion at the statement and continued in more detail "You see my back is one of my biggest shames and insecurities, I was branded on my back but not in the way that you would think, I'd show you but I don't think I trust you guys like that... not yet at least"

"We understand," Nami said softly.

"What?! But I want to see it!" Luffy shouted, a frown marring his face and earning a hit in the head by Nami. "Shut up you moron!"

"Carry on if you want," Robin said, a ghost of a smile on her face. Amethyst laughed a little and nodded.

"He stormed out and broke the door on his way out, he also burned the sheets of one of the beds, much to the dismay of April, one of the ships doctors. And after I was finally alone, I broke down. Years of torture and pain finally got to me and I snapped" her eyes started to water and she bit her lip at the memory, 'God, emotions are such a pain in my ass'. She held them back and continued.

"And then Ace came back and held me in his arms and told me simply and gently to sleep and so I did and that was the first time I was willing to start to trust someone." She said, laughing at the expression of affection from Nami who thought it was quite adorable. "I woke up a couple of days later and that's when I found out that he wasn't some special case human who wasn't half bad, there were lots of them, the whole crew weren't half bad, I'd say they were amazing but I would never admit to that," she said through tears that had finally fallen, she wiped them away with her hand and glared at them all, sending a silent message of not mentioning that she cried to which they quickly agreed, pushing her to continue.

"I consider that my favourite day, It was also the day that I gained a family and became one of them and I laughed and smiled for the first time in my entire life, it felt weird and exhilarating and I remember running into Ace's arms like some crazy person and he didn't push me away or feel disturbed, he just let me hug him and he hugged me back and after that everything was chaotic and hectic, full of life and happiness, something I wasn't familiar with"

"I think I have a newfound respect for Fire-Fist," Robin said admirably. Usopp, Camie and Nami were adorned with affectionate expressions that made Amethyst and Zoro roll their eyes at them. Sanji looked ready to break something.

"It's so heart-warming!" Franky shouted dramatically, tears pricking in the corners of his eyes. "Indeed it is," Brook said fondly, a smile on his face.

"Come on guys, It's _Ace_ ," Luffy said as if it were the most obvious and simple thing in the world.

The others ignored him and just gestured for her to continue.

"I remember this one time I pranked Marco, The First Division Commander, with Thatch, The Fourth Division Commander and he got so mad, it was the maddest I had ever seen him up to that point. I still wasn't sure of everyone and how they would react so I nearly freaked out but Ace took the blame for me." she smiled as she remembered him standing in front of her and taking the blame.

"There was also a time when I had panic attacks frequently and Ace would come into my room and just hold me in between his legs and whisper that it was okay, that everything was okay and I would believe him or he would just lie down next to me and we wouldn't say a word"

"He has this scent, I'm kind of protective of him so I'm not going to tell you what it is because it's exclusively for me to know and I'll only allow Luffy to ever know." She said, a glint in her eye that made everyone feel uncomfortable and that it shouldn't be something they pry into, not that it was necessarily something they would pry into. Luffy grinned at her "He became my safe place, the only thing that would calm me down. There was a time where he had to leave to go and take back a territory of Pops' that someone had stupidly tried to overthrow and I'm sure by now you can guess how I reacted".

* * *

 _"Ammy I have to leave, but I'll be back, okay?" Ace tried to reassure the hyperventilating girl, clinging uncharacteristically to his side, holding his hand tightly in her own smaller one, she looked down, avoiding his gaze, she felt stupid but she was scared beyond comprehension. She shook her head "Then I'll come with you"_

 _"You can't come with me," he said softly, feeling exasperated, not at her but at the fact that he was the one that had to go, why couldn't Marco go? He had to look out for her, he knew that if he left her that she would probably isolate herself into her room and become a recluse._

 _"Please don't leave, I-I"_

 _She was cut off by a weight on her head and she lifted her hand to feel his hat was placed gently on her head and a comforting scent wafted through her nose, she looked up at Ace and saw him giving her a concerned yet amused and warm expression. He brought her small hand up to his lips and brushed a chaste kiss across her knuckles. "You'll be fine," he said quietly and soothing._

 _He leaned down and placed a tender kiss to her tear soaked cheek, his breath fanning across the soft skin, smiling contentedly when she didn't flinch away from him. She looked startled and stared at his face questioningly._

 _"Don't worry, I'll come back to you, I promise"._

* * *

Amethyst smiled at the fond expressions that most of them seemed to gain as she reiterated the memory. "He was always so forward, the moron. But I guess I was pretty clingy. I got close to Marco during that time, he was always someone that shot me glances of worry, it really pissed me off and if you thought Ace was forward, Marco really pushed it, see I was somewhat comfortable with Ace when he used skin contact but Marco was someone I didn't really talk to and out of nowhere he just hugged me".

* * *

 _She made a hand gesture and threw the intruder into the wall of her room. "What the fuck was that?!" she shouted at the person who had invaded her personal space._

 _Said, person got up and shook himself off and sighed. "I've been wanting to talk to you for a while but your bodyguard was giving me evil looks every time I came close"._

* * *

"Wouldn't be surprised if he fell in love at first sight with how he acted since he saved you," Shakky said, feeling delighted on the insider information. "Ace seems really protective of you, can't see it from what I've seen"

"Stop it! I can't take it!" Franky shouted now full on crying like a baby. Amethyst ignored him and carried on.

"Yeah, he was really protective but so was Marco, once Marco and I got close they were both so annoying, I remember Thatch teaching me to make a cake I flinched away from him at one point and bumped into something, causing me to cut myself and well... Thatch got all of the blame and I had to convince them that it wasn't his fault and once I did, I was banned from the kitchen and from cooking"

"It sounds like they suffocated you," Usopp said, a slightly uncomfortable look on his face that made her laugh. "They did, but I liked it because it was the complete opposite of how my experiences with people usually were like, but it did annoy me to no end"

"Pops, however, that's Whitebeard for those who don't know, Pops annoys me the most, I adore the old man don't get me wrong but I feel like he has a children complex..." She scrunched her nose up at how wrong that sounded and quickly tried to remedy the slip-up. "That sounds really wrong but what I mean is that he has so many children and wants more constantly, he would always bug me about having grandchildren as if that was all I was good for." she huffed in pure annoyance from just the thought of it. "But they were family by then and I treasured them, I would protect them no matter what... and then there was a situation in where that was tested," she said, a grim expression taking over her face.

"The brand I told you about, that was on my back, it was made by a sadistic Celestial, he basically owned me, to him I was a pet. He raped me and then would carve into my back every time he was finished so that I had a reminder of whose I was, what I was and what my place in the world was... he was the Celestial I killed... and he was my biological father"

They all were appalled and sickened, how could someone be so repugnant and grotesque, that they would do that to a person, let alone their own daughter. Luffy looked angry, he just recently experienced first-hand what a Celestial was like and he hated them, he always hated them. Nami had to calm down a raging Sanji but Choppers expression was probably the worst, he saw the carvings in her back and it horrified him to know the back story to them, now he wishes he didn't see it.

"He found me and I was with Marco and Ace, it was my first time here and the first time I left the ship and they had freaked and tried to drag me back when Shakky mentioned the auctions going on"

"So that was why they acted like that," Shakky said in realisation, she always did wonder why they had reacted that way.

"Yeah, sorry about that, they were quite rude," Amethyst said, she had become prone to apologising a lot more now when it was appropriate. Shakky paid no mind to it and waved it off telling her to continue.

"It was too late though, just my luck too, I was caught by that bastard and I forced Marco and Ace to just stand there and watch, I used my power to force them to stay away because I didn't think the world was an enemy they could defeat and I still stand by that, the government is corrupted, we all know that" Everyone agreed. "I used my power for as long as I could so that I could get away from them and I did so successfully and I passed out from over-exerting myself and when I woke up I killed the bastard and my bounty was born" They all had expressions that said they were glad he was dead, they already despised the person when she explained what he had done.

"When I got to the ship and started my recovery Marco was pissed, Ace was more worried and let me be, he understood a bit more than Marco. I had a freakout, not surprising by now and Ace came back into my room and he held me like he always did and convinced me that I was okay. He also told me about his family and I told him I was glad he was born and he told me that I deserved to live."

Luffy perked up a bit and grinned at her "Thank you" he said and she just smiled lightly at him, knowing what he meant by that, ignoring the looks of puzzlement and curiosity at the exchange.

"I stayed in the infirmary for awhile after that and the day I got out was bittersweet, to say the least. Ace and I finally told each other that we loved one another and did... things that people do when they love each other," she said sheepishly not wanting to elaborate too much on it.

Most of them understood and some had blushes on their faces and looked in a different direction to hide the embarrassment. Luffy, Camie and Chopper didn't seem to get it and before Luffy could have some input or ask what exactly she meant, she quickly continued.

"But then the bitter part came and Thatch who I've mentioned before was attacked by another crew member... that was when well, I'm sure you all know how that went, I was misunderstood to have done it and was forced out"

"But now I don't care about any of that, I just want to make sure he's okay," Amethyst said finally, she didn't realise how much time she had just wasted on informing them on some of her life.

"Okay, you can go!" Luffy said brightly, no concern in his voice at all, but she could tell by his eyes that he was worried and just wasn't showing it but had trust that his brother was strong enough to handle whatever he was going through at the moment.

Amethyst smiled at him and the other crew members, "I hope to see you guys again" she said softly, closing her eyes and changing them to Crimson and clicked her fingers. 'To Whitebeards ship'

She opened her eyes, turning them back to normal and steadying herself as she felt dizziness return ten-fold. She looked around and recognised the place but, this wasn't Whitebeard's ship, it was still Sabaody. 'I thought they weren't here' She clicked her fingers and turned invisible, walking to the dock that they were at when she was here last.

She walked all the way there, it took ages and she groaned in annoyance as the pounding in her chest and head bothered her only to see that they really weren't there. She collapsed on the ground in a tired and disoriented heap. She turned her eyes red and clicked her fingers to teleport to the ship only to be met with the same place she collapsed in, why wasn't it working?! She realised she had tired herself out already, she'd used the new power too much and with the red eyes, she was exhausted to the point of wanting to vomit everywhere.

She picked herself up and trudged around the island, trying to find some clue as to what was going on. She saw a newspaper and picked it up, she read through it, flipping pages and sighed. Nothing. She then looked at the front page that she neglected to look over and froze.

'Fire Fist Ace, Second Division Commander of The Whitebeard Pirates is set to be executed at Marineford, Navy HQ'

What the fuck did that moron get himself into? She felt tears prick in her eyes and scolded herself for feeling like that. 'Just like Luffy said, he's strong and now that answers the question to where the Whitebeards disappeared to, probably planning to get him back'. And if she had anything to do with it, she wasn't going to let him die, not in this lifetime.

'I need to tell Luffy'

Amethyst ran as fast as she could to the bar and threw the door open, only to find that Shakky was the only one there. "Shakky, where is everyone?!"

"They all left when you left"

"Dammit!" She ran out of the bar and went looking for them, trying to find where they were, she ran towards where their ship was and found it to be empty, no one was there, not even Rayleigh. That's a bust. She then ran towards the way they came to get to the bar, she heard sounds of screaming and turbulent noises. Cursing in her head, she ran towards the commotion and was met with a horrible sight.

Luffy was alone in the middle of the area, he looked so defeated and helpless and then all of a sudden, he wasn't, he disappeared at the hands of a large man who she recognised as another warlord named Kuma Bartholomew and also a man fighting with Rayleigh, he was an admiral that she had seen a bit of during her time in and out of cells, Kizaru. She was slightly relieved, she knew Kuma was part of the revolutionaries, you tend to get to know things when you spend most of your life passed around from people to people, always in the shadows and hearing gossip and rumours. The spilt information here and there.

She ran away from the enemies, she knew Rayleigh could handle himself and she was barely holding herself up with a splitting headache. She ran back to the Straw hat ship and tried to piece together what was left of her mind, everything was just happening, Luffy disappeared and the others did too, seeing as it was Kuma she knew he must've sent them somewhere so she was 97 percent sure they were all still alive. And Ace, how the hell was she going to get to him with her strength sapped and her power not working. 'Fuck!'

'Just stay calm, if I just concentrate, if I just push my power'

She concentrated, eyes turning red and wished, she wished in the deepest part of her heart that she would make it there, make it to his side, her eyes started to drip with blood, warm red liquid trickled from her nose and her ears, she felt blood coming out from beneath her nails, pain was coursing through her entire body but she kept pushing, she pushed and pushed, but nothing happened.

She was losing it again, she was aggravated and exhausted, he was to be executed soon, so if she rests just for today, she'll still have a few days, she's used her power too much and the fact that it was a new power she knows she needs more than just a day but she wanted to get to him as fast as possible.

* * *

 _Amethyst felt herself drifting like she was floating on thin air, where was she? She looked around not recognising her surroundings, everything was so dark and morbid. She felt cold underneath her feet and realised she was standing on a stone floor, she walked forward, she felt herself feeling weak as she took every step, there was nothing but stone flooring. She saw objects starting to form, large stone cube like structures, they looked like cells, bars covering the opening of them, but no one occupied them. Where was she?_

 _She felt her breathing becoming ragged, it was so stuffy here, she felt wet like she was covered in warm water, she kept trudging forward, her feet leading her to a force that was pulling her, tugging her in a direction but saw no destination in sight. Her feet made slapping noises like she was stepping in puddles like her feet were surrounded by liquid._

 _She wandered for what felt like hours and then she heard a voice._

 _'You must sacrifice yourself'_

 _She peered around but saw no one, where was this voice coming from? Why wasn't she frightened? It felt like she knew the voice but it was unfamiliar._

 _'Half of yourself, you must sacrifice yourself'_

 _What was it talking about? Sacrifice for what? Why did it keep going on about sacrifice? What sacrifice?_

 _'Do you want to save him?'_

 _A face flashed in her head, unruly black hair, dark whiskey-coloured eyes, a chocolate-coloured splash of freckles, sun-kissed skin and a smile that tugged at her heart... Ace. She couldn't respond, she opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she thought in her head that she did, that she wanted to no matter the sacrifice, no matter what._

 _'Are you willing to go back to your darkest past, Are you willing to lose yourself again?'_

 _Amethyst knew what they meant and she touched her back, hands digging into the skin as she thought of all the memories of misery and torture she had to endure, to the point of just giving up, but then she remembered his face, his scent, his smile and his voice and she knew it would be worth it, she never had someone before and now she did. She thought in her head that she was willing to go back to that._

 _'That is not all, you will lose half of yourself and it will be a curse or a blessing all depending on your will to live. Lose half of your heart, half of your soul and you will save him, let yourself lose control to the brink of death only to lose half of yourself and only to go back to being an animal, caged, used and tortured and you will cause him much emotional and mental pain'_

 _Amethyst cringed at the thought, it sounded painful and lonely. She didn't want to be lonely ever again. She didn't want to cause him pain._

 _'...But you will succeed in saving him. Will you do it?'_

 _She knew with just that last line that she would, she would go to the ends of the earth to save him, it was the least she could do for him, he saved her, now she was going to save him. She loved him, he is the first person she has ever loved and even if he hated her for it, even if he ended up resenting her, she would do it all over again if it would save him._

 _'Very well, here is a taste of what is to come Amethyst Lililth Leila Malach'_

 _She saw in front of her a large stone cell forming but this one had someone in it, she went closer, she couldn't make out the figure, couldn't clear her vision enough to see them vividly, the wetness that she was feeling was becoming uncomfortable and she started to feel a dull pain in her chest._

 _The figure in the cell looked up but she still couldn't figure out who they were, it's like it was clear now but it wasn't, she finally got right up to the cell and gripped the bars in her hands and looked closer just trying to find a feature, just something that would tell her, that would give her a clue as to who this person was, but nothing._

 _"Ammy"_

 _She jerked her head up and glanced around, the pain in her chest starting to ache, a puddle started to form beneath her feet but she kept looking around, that was his voice, it was his voice, she knew it was but where was it coming from?_

 _"Oh god Ammy why-why do you look like that?"_

 _Her eyes landed back to the figure in front of her, their face becoming clear, vivid, detailed and she saw it, his face covered in a look of pain and horror. She tried to say something, tried to speak, to tell him she was glad he was okay, that she was okay, that she forgave him but the words wouldn't come out, the pain in her chest becoming sharp and taking the breath out of her._

 _"There's so much blood, Ammy, please you can't- please be okay"_

 _She looked again and her sight was different, she looked up and saw a dark ceiling, was she lying down? Was she always lying down? She felt the puddle now bigger, warmer, all over the floor. She grabbed at it with her hand, feeling the warm thickness of the liquid in between her fingers, the texture mixing with pieces of gravel that chipped from the stone floor and she lifted her hand to her face, it was dark but the smell and look of it was easily recognisable. Blood._

 _She was lying down in a puddle of her own blood and the pain in her chest was unbearable, it felt unending and oh so excruciating, everything was so sore._

 _"Don't do this to me... please"_

 _She heard so much screaming, was he screaming? She looked and saw his face full of torment, he looked tortured and helpless but he wasn't screaming. The screams were so loud so unrestrained and full of indescribable pain, she felt her body convulse and shake and she realised she was screaming, she was screaming like her life was ending like she was.. like she was about to die._

 _"Please... please just stay with me, just stay with me, don't leave me"_

 _She looked at him, saw his face full of unrelenting pain as he was forced to watch her convulse in excruciating pain, lying in a pool of her own blood._

 _She saw the cuffs holding him start to break, they were breaking but she was fading, she felt her vision blurring as the pain became too much to handle, she felt something, an emptiness, like something had physically left her body and with her last bit of vision she saw something red, something bright and covered in a glow float through the bars and as her eyes drifted closed and she lost consciousness she heard the familiar clank of stone meeting the floor and she fell into a blissful darkness._


	10. Chapter 10: The Great Under Sea Prison

_**Disclaimer: I own it, surprise... not.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 10.**

* * *

Amethyst shot up, breathing heavily, soaked in sweat, she grimaced as she felt dried blood all over her body, where was she? She looked around and realised she was in a room and it was night time. 'That's right, I'm on Luffy's ship but... I don't remember coming inside though'

Her eyes widened as everything came racing back, she stood up, only to waver and fall back on the bed 'Dammit, I'm still weak' How long was she out?

"You're finally awake, you can clean yourself up"

She turned at the voice and saw a familiar figure in the door way, a look of relief on their face that she had finally woken up. "Rayleigh?"

"You've been out for quite a while, found you passed out on the deck," he said as he walked closer. "I would've cleaned you up but I didn't want to invade your personal space without permission. How are you feeling? You were having quite the nightmare," he finished calmly, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her with worried eyes.

"I'm fine, thanks. How long have I been out of it?" she questioned wincing as she moved to get into a more comfortable position on the bed.

"About three days"

Oh okay... Three days... three days... did he just fucking say three days? "THREE DAYS?!" she stood up quickly, steadying herself as nausea and pain washed over her, why did she still feel like this if she rested for three fucking days?

"You shouldn't be moving, you were still bleeding when I found you, I was only able to stop the bleeding yesterday morning with some help," he said sternly, pushing her back onto the bed and ignoring the scowl that she sent him.

"I have to get to Ace, he needs me," she stated, gritting her teeth as the pain started increasing with all her movements, trying to get out of his grip on her shoulders, 'Strong old geezer' she went to use her power and immediately was met with a wave of nausea. "Oh fuck," she spit out before vomiting all over herself, the warm puke seeping into her clothes and running down her skin, mixing with the dried blood.

"This is why I told you to be careful before. Grab my arm and I'll help you get to the shower so you can clean yourself up," he said holding out his arm and she grabbed it not bothering to argue anymore, she stood up shakily, using his arm as support and followed him slowly, still trying to gage her bearings.

"I already put some clothes in there for you and a couple towels, if you need help just knock on the door, I'll be right outside," he said once they got to the bathroom, she nodded and walked inside, stumbling a little but righting herself. She closed the door behind her and stuck her tongue out childishly at the door. 'Old Man'

She took her clothes off very slowly, wincing every so often as the movements caused her pain. She finally got into the shower, turning it on and sighing as she relished in the warm water running down her filthy skin. As she cleaned her body of the filth she thought about the voice and the sacrifice, she didn't understand what it meant when it said she was going to lose half of herself, half her soul and half her heart... did it mean literally or what? was she going to die? she shook the thoughts out of her head, she could come back to it once it actually came to having to go through with the 'sacrifice' and finished up cleaning herself.

She got out and dried herself, swiftly changing into the clothes set out for her, 'Shorts and a singlet, good just my style' she tied her hair up with a hair tie that was in the sink and put her hair in a high ponytail. She saw that she had some severe bruising on her face and the rest of her. That ability really took a toll on her body.

She felt her body wasn't aching as much, the warm water helped ease it a bit. She shuffled to the door and opened it but didn't see Rayleigh in sight. She walked out and watched as the steam came out of the room and cringed as a flash from _that night_ went through her mind. 'No use thinking about that' she scolded herself and walked towards the deck. "Rayleigh?"

"Amethyst, in here" she heard a voice say and realised he was in the room she was in before. She walked there and stood in the doorway, watching him. "I need to get to Ace," she stated, getting straight to the point. Rayleigh sighed "And how might you do that?"

She crossed her arms across her chest "By using my power," she said simply, she didn't care about whether he was concerned or not.

"Your power can get you there? Do you even know where he's being held?" Rayleigh asked, a doubtful and somewhat exasperated expression on his face, he could tell she was going to be stubborn about this.

"Yes, it can and I'm pretty sure he's being held at Impel Down"

"Well seeing as someone vomited when she tried to just move her hand, I'd say you can't exactly do much as of now," he responded wisely, she glared at him and looked away, ignoring the remark. "Well then I'll figure something out, I just need a plan and help"

Rayleigh stared silently at the girl a little longer and stood up "Well, you have about five days before he is sent to Navy Headquarters, so I say you rest a little longer and wait till you're at decent strength, I got a doctor to check you ou- Now don't give me that look, I got her to check you out and she says you need to stay in bed for at least a couple of wee- don't interrupt me, I know you aren't going to listen to her or me so I say rest for as long as you can and then go," he said firmly, giving her a stern look.

She huffed and agreed reluctantly, walking towards the kitchen so that she could eat something. She opened the fridge and saw some fruit, grimacing and seized the meat that was beside it. She had come to despise fruit, that was basically her breakfast lunch and dinner since she was kicked out. She walked to the aquarium room, sitting down and eating the meat. Rayleigh followed her and placed a cup of water beside her plate of meat. "You need to hydrate," he said, sitting down across from her.

She rolled her eyes at him and drank the glass of water in one shot then going back to her meat, swallowing the rest down. "Luffy and everyone, they're okay I'm guessing? Because of Kuma..."

Rayleigh glanced at her in surprise, "And what do you mean by that?" she rolled her eyes again. "I know he's part of the revolutionaries, the crew would've been killed or captured had he not done something"

Rayleigh decided not to push for an answer to how she knew about such information and placed his elbow on the table, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand and looked at her. "I'm not sure, but I would guess so. They're strong, they'll be fine"

She nodded at the answer and watched the water in the aquarium, she didn't know what to say, she feels like it's one of the first times where she wasn't doing something, which in reality it sort of was. "So... the One Piece," she said suddenly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You really want to know?" She thought for a second then shook her head, she didn't have much interest in it personally, what would she even do with the information once she had it.

It had been ten minutes of silence and she didn't know what to do or say, she really wasn't used to such silence not even in her cell, she was always hearing shouts or gossip or screams, but this was just pure silence. She started to look at her arms, scanning them and noticed that some of her bruises had already faded. "Wow, I've stooped to watching my bruises disappear," she said in a bored tone of voice.

"You heal quite fast, perk of your power?" he asked amused at her obvious boredom.

"I'm not sure actually..." she said shrugging, but then remembered something she neglected to think about "Um, do you read a lot?" she asked randomly. He glanced at her and nodded "Yes, I do. Did you want a book?"

"No, I was wondering if you could maybe find something out for me" she responded in a kind almost too sweet for words tone of voice. He stared at the girl, tapping his foot and waiting for her to continue.

"I met someone who knew me and they said a few names that I didn't recognise so I was wondering if you could research them for me, please?" she requested.

He got up and nodded "I think I can find some books of names and I'll bring them back so we can go through them together, better two pairs of eyes than one," he responded, a small smile on his face "Yeah... sure," she said avoiding eye contact with him. He gave her a look of suspicion but brushed it off and walked out.

* * *

He came back an hour later and he was surprised to see her arms only having faded bruises, they were barely visible just pale yellowish green patches, he was also surprised to see a piece of tissue in one of her nostrils. "I thought you would've run off by now," he said entertained at her surprised expression.

She smiled a bit glad he was finally back and she wasn't forced to talk to herself like a psycho. "Trust me it's not for a lack of trying, hence the nosebleed" he shook his head at that and placed the few books he had on the table. "These were all the books on names that I could find, what are the names?"

"Lilith, Leila and Malach"

He nodded his head and sat down, starting to go through a book. She grabbed a book and looked at the cover, squinting a bit and then nodding her head after a couple minutes, opening it and scanning it with a look of concentration. She was on the first page and squinted again, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

Rayleigh looked up from the book and saw her expression. "We'll find it, Don't worry, there's no need to be frustrated"

She looked up, facial expression softening "I can't really read all that well," she admitted feeling a tad ashamed. "Ace was teaching me to read but well it wasn't that easy, I know some words and most letters but I forget a lot and it's hard to form them in my head to make sense, it takes a while"

Rayleigh nodded in understanding, giving her a small smile of encouragement and went back to looking over the book again. Amethyst was glad he didn't try and baby her because of it, his reaction was perfect.

She went back to the book she was scanning and tried harder to form the words faster, it was much easier reading the Newspaper headline so why was this so difficult?

"While you're trying to build up your strength, would you like me to teach you to read a bit?" he asked, snapping her out of her concentration, she looked up at him "You don't have to, it's fine"

"Well if you change your mind just ask," he said before looking back to the book. She peered at him a little longer then looked back to the book, groaning in frustration after about twenty or so minutes and then pushing it away from her, forehead now leaning on the table. "Tell me when you've found them"

About half an hour passed and Rayleigh finally found something. "I got two names they were both under the same letter so made things easier," he said, pushing the book into the middle of the table so she could look at it.

"Leila means 'Dark Beauty' or 'Dark-haired' and Lilith means 'Demon of the Night'" Rayleigh said with piqued interest. Amethyst felt herself itch a bit in irritation, brows furrowing in disapproval. Why did she have to be related to ominous names? 'Devil eyes' 'Dark Beauty' and 'Demon of the Night' what next? The evil spirit of hell?

"Oh and there is Malach," he said finding the next name quite quickly as it was the next letter in the alphabet. She looked to where he was indicating and tried to read it herself before giving up straight away and looking at him. "What does it mean? Evil Spirit?" he chuckled and shook his head.

"No, it means 'Angel'"

She perked up a bit at the fact it wasn't something dark and ominous but then her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What's that suppose to mean? I highly doubt that I'm going to sprout wings" she didn't get how they had any correlation to each other if that really was her name, which she was pretty positive it was, it made no sense altogether.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is the significance of these names?" Rayleigh questioned curiously. Amethyst looked at him and answered, "The person who said the names actually directed them to me she called me 'Amethyst Lilith Leila Malach' so I think it's my name and before you ask, the person isn't available anymore so don't bother"

"Your name... suits you," he said calmly and she stifled a laugh, cocking her head to the side. "How so?"

"Well you are beautiful, a tad dark in personality and your powers aren't that of this world typically so Angel and Demon seem to suffice as an otherworldly sort of meaning, so, all in all, makes sense," he said in all seriousness, one of his hands rubbing his chin and the other tapping on the table.

She was a bit startled at the description, she didn't know whether to feel flattered or insulted and understanding or confused. "I guess so"

"Your bruises seem to be gone," he said. She looked and saw that he was right, even on her legs, she guessed her face was the same. She stood up immediately and felt no pain, she still knew she was rather weak and not in top condition but she was a lot better. She made a hand gesture and lifted Rayleigh who of course protested but she put him back down. "Sweet, no more Nausea or nose bleeds"

"Please refrain from doing that again and also before you do anything rash you need to figure out a plan first before you go using your powers to get to him"

"Well I actually already thought of a plan, I'm going to find Luffy and tell him because he deserves to know and then I'm going to go to Ace. There. Plan. Done." she said, her eyes turned red and she went to click her fingers when she was interrupted by a hand on her wrist. "Just wait, do you know what you're doing?" he asked concerned.

"Well, if you let me try then I guess we'll see, to strengthen and get used to a new ability I usually had to use it a lot and my body eventually adjusted. So if it works then thanks in advance" she closed her eyes, letting them turn crimson and held her breath, hoping it would work and clicked her fingers.

* * *

Amethyst opened her eyes and stumbled, falling to the floor and holding her head in pain "Motherfu-" she looked up mid-curse-word and was greeted with the sight of a really weird and ugly looking old lady with a paper. The lady was holding the paper to her chest and looked like she was going to faint from shock. "Sorry lady I was- Um is someone named Luffy here?" Amethyst asked, getting straight to the point. She was suddenly thrown forward, landing on her face. "AM!" she heard a familiar cheery voice from behind or more like on top of her. She sat up, the person on her back sliding off and she turned around in a sitting position.

"Lu..." she whispered as her eyes landed on the happy little ball of sunshine, she couldn't contain her happiness and pulled him to her in a tight embrace. "That hurt you idiot" he laughed at her, returning the hug in all his rubbery goodness, wrapping his arms around her... a lot.

"You're bleeding on me but I don't care, I'm glad to see one of my Nakama," he said cheerfully a hint of sadness in his voice at the last word. She pulled her head away from him and realised blood was coming out of her nose. "Let go so I can clean up," she said softly, receiving a pout but he obeyed and retracted his limbs and got off of her. She snatched the newspaper out of the old lady's hands and wiped her nose with it then gave it back, a look of 'genuine' apology on her face. "Sorry, lady"

"You can call me Elder Nyon," Elder Nyon said giving her a look of disgust but oddly kept reading the paper, not even questioning her and how she got there. Amethyst turned back to Luffy not minding the lady and noticed that he had a big piece of meat placed beside him, typical. She took a deep breath "Luffy, it's Ace," she said softly, he cocked his head to the side at the mentioning of his brother. "Is he okay? Did you see him?"

"Girl, are you part of the Whitebeard pirates by any chance?" Elder Nyon suddenly asked interrupting her as she looked at the slightly exposed tattoo on the girls back. Amethyst turned her attention to the old woman, giving her an annoyed expression 'she speaks really strangely, it matches her face well' Amethyst thought. She paused a bit before answering, could she still consider herself one of them? They did try to bring her back. "Um, yeah, why?"

"You must be talking about Fire-Fist Ace, you know about what's happening to him, I assume," the old lady inquired.

"What's happening to Ace?" Luffy asked confused at the conversation that was going on. The old lady looked at him not knowing the connection between the two. "Fire-Fist Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates is set to be executed soon"

Amethyst internally cursed the lady for blurting it out, she was planning to tell him calmly and ease him into the cold water not just shove him off the cliff like a moron. She looked to Luffy who had frozen in shock. Amethyst grabbed his hand and he snapped out of it, his eyes wide and searching, looking at her. "Don't worry Luffy, we'll get your brother back, I promise," she convinced softly. He still looked shocked but nodded, determination and trust mixing with the shock.

"Brother?!" Elder Nyon shouted. Amethyst turned to the lady and glared menacingly "Next time you want to open that fat mouth of yours, _**Don't**_ ," she threatened, eyes staring angrily at the woman. The woman went to retort but Amethyst turned back to Luffy "I can get us to where he's being held now with my ability if you're ready"

He shook his head violently, eyes looking severely at her "No, you get hurt a lot doing it, Ace wouldn't like that and I don't like it," he said, a tone of finality in his voice and she knew she couldn't argue, he was as stubborn as his brother. "Fine, how exactly are we getting there then?"

* * *

Amethyst was now standing and watching an entertaining exchange between Luffy and Boa Hancock, she glanced up at the three watching from the window above and rolled her eyes when she heard something about a 'Hurricane' and 'Love'. She turned her attention back to the other two, Hancock was giving her small glares now and then, that she really didn't appreciate. She could tell she had fallen for Luffy, she felt kind of sorry for her, she never had a chance with the type of person Luffy was.

Luffy bounced back to her and had a big grin on his face. "She said she'll take us, you have to make yourself invisible though, is that okay?" he asked worriedly. She sighed and flicked him in the head "Don't worry about me moron, you're the little weakling" she teased. Luffy frowned and stuck his tongue out at her "Am not, you wanna fight?!"

She laughed at him and ruffled his hair. "I don't fight people I care about" His grin appeared again at that and he grabbed her hand. She raised her brow at that questioningly.

"Your hand reminds me of Makino," he said, smiling as he thought about, said, woman.

"And who is this Makino person?"

Luffy started rambling excitedly, whilst holding her hand and making animated motions to explain the lady of Fuusha village, then suddenly surprising her by going on about Red-Haired Shanks and his experience with him, 'He gets more interesting the longer I hear about him'

"YOU FILTHY PEASANT! LET GO OF HIS HAND THIS INSTANCE!" Hancock suddenly shouted enraged at the audacity of the girl touching her beloved Luffy. Amethyst looked at the crazy lady and groaned, did she really have to come with them? She let go of Luffy's hand much to his dismay and walked slowly up to Hancock, something coming to her mind that she thinks might ease the anger or increase it, either way, it was worth a try. "I've heard about you," Amethyst said randomly, staring her dead in the eye, now standing right in front of the still enraged woman.

"Well, of course, you have, I am the Pirate Empress and I'm beautiful," Hancock said, making a weird pose that looked like she was trying to seem sexy but epically failing, at least in Amethysts eyes.

"No, I mean among Celestials I've heard about you"

Hancock's face paled almost immediately and Amethyst could hear shouts of outrage from her sisters above. "H-how? Are you connected with them?!" she shouted in indignation, how could a commoner know of something so shameful and dare show her face, let alone talk to her.

"I guess you could say that. I was a slave to the Celestials as well," Amethyst replied calmly, waiting for a reaction from the Empress who looked even more shocked than before and then her face went blank "Come inside" she said abruptly and walked back into her room. Amethyst turned to Luffy and gestured him to follow which he did eagerly.

As they got inside Amethyst stood at the foot of her bed and looked at the Empress that was now sitting on her knees on the bed, looking at her. Luffy was standing beside the bed with Elder Nyon and the other two sisters.

"You were a slave? So you have the brand as well?" she asked hesitantly, hands shaking and sweat forming on her forehead as she hugged herself.

"I have a brand but not the mark of the Celestials," Amethyst said and turned around, as much as she disliked the Empress' attitude, she trusted her when it came to something like this, they could relate. Luffy was Luffy she knew he wouldn't judge her.

She lifted her singlet and the many scars were visible even under the mark of the Whitebeards, they were deep and gruesome, nothing would really cover them apart from well more scars. Gasps were heard throughout the room and she was reminded of the time she revealed it to everyone on the Moby Dick but she wasn't nervous this time, it felt different. "Oh my," she heard Elder Nyon gasped out. She pulled her singlet back down and turned back around, seeing the looks of horror from the women in the room and a look of anger from Luffy.

"It's fine Luffy, it's in the past," she said soothingly offering a small smile to the angry teen. He shook his head and looked even angrier. "I hate the Celestials, I'm glad you killed him," he said, surprising her, she didn't expect him to say something like that and with that tone of voice.

"You killed a Celestial Dragon?!" Hancock shouted in disbelief. The two sisters didn't look all that better, all overly-surprised. "Well yeah, wasn't that hard," she said nonchalantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hancock recovered, expression now calm. "You both are fools, one punches a Celestial and the other kills one, such fools" Amethyst analysed her expression and could tell that despite her words she was amused if not delighted by the information.

Luffy walked over to Amethyst and grabbed her wrist, she looked at him "You okay Luffy?" she questioned, worried at the blank look on his face. He then gave her a look of pure determination. "I'll protect you until we get Ace back," he said in a tone of pure seriousness that almost shocked her speechless. "Luffy you don-"

"NO! I promise!" he shouted immaturely now back to his usual self that had her sighing in exasperation. "Fine, let's hope you do a better job at that than your brother then," she said jokingly, winking slyly at him. He laughed and grinned at her.

"Your connection with Fire-Fist, what is it?" Hancock asked curiously.

Amethyst smirked a little and covered Luffy's ears. "How you feel about Luffy, is how Ace and I feel about each other" Luffy started struggling against the hold, wanting to hear what they were talking about.

Hancock blushed and held her face "So, you have the sickness as well" Amethyst cocked a brow and looked at the three on the side for an explanation but was greeted with the sight of them looking to the ground, grim expressions on their faces. Amethyst just sighed and let go of Luffy "Uh, yeah"

These people sure were strange.

* * *

It was morning and she was on the Navy ship. She clicked her fingers as they were left alone in one of the rooms, becoming visible again. "How long will it take to get there?" Luffy asked.

"A little more than 4 days so you'll have approximately more than a day to save your brother before he is moved to Navy HQ," Hancock said.

Luffy nodded in acknowledgement, suddenly going quiet, Amethyst could tell he was worried. Of course, he was, who wouldn't be in this kind of situation? She saw Hancock acting weirdly, probably trying to build some courage or figure out a way to talk to him but then falling into one of her many delusions and she rolled her eyes, sitting next to the teen. "Luffy, it'll be okay, we'll get him back," she said softly and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I know," he replied, smiling a little at her. "Hancock you think you can get Luffy food, I think it'll cheer him up," Amethyst said to the Empress who jumped up and ran towards the door of the room they were in.

Amethyst could still see the serious expression on his face and sighed, trying to think of a way to cheer him up.

"Hey Lu, you wanna be my little brother?" Amethyst asked suddenly, thinking about the time Ace talked to her about his childhood. Luffy jerked in excitement, grinning up at her but then deflated looking disappointed. "We have no Sake, Ace said if we share sake we can become brothers" she grinned slyly at him.

"That's different, I'm a girl so I'll become your sister and all we have to do is make a promise," she said convincingly to which he believed straight away, perking up again. "Really?!" She nodded, grin still on her face.

"Do you Luffy promise to become my little brother and I your big sister?" she asked, trying to sound as formal and serious as possible, despite the urge to laugh. He matched her grin and nodded excitedly.

"Now we're brother and sister, see?"

"Does that make you and Ace brother and sister too?"

She paled at the question and then blew into a fit of laughter. "No Luffy, just me and you, I haven't made the promise with Ace, so it can't happen," he nodded in understanding. "Good, I can be your only brother," he said seriously making her laugh at his expression that almost looked possessive had you not known Luffy at all. He then jumped away abruptly when he finally noticed some food. Hancock fussing over him and telling him to eat slower.

"Hancock, thank you for helping Luffy out," Amethyst said grabbing the attention of the flustered Empress.

"I would do anything for him if he wished for it," Hancock said dreamily as she stared at the boy stuffing his face as if her some angel, though from what Amethyst has seen, he very well could be, a little rough around the edges but definitely angel-like innocence.

"Of course you would 'Hammock'" Amethyst teased receiving a rather angry lecture from the crazy lady.

* * *

Amethyst was glad to finally have arrived, for one she was utterly sick of the Empress and her constant blabbing of marriage and proposals and her blushing and it was all just so embarrassing to see, she had zero dignity and Luffy was probably the most oblivious person she has ever come across. Luffy also worried her a bit, sometimes he was too worried to think about food, even when she brought it to him. She was also obviously glad to be here because of Ace. She had used her powers a lot as people kept checking in on Hancock and now she wasn't in the best of shape and also the fact that she had to use it again now.

She was watching nervously as Hancock, who was hiding Luffy in a very peculiar place was now walking beside her as they entered the prison, they were informed that she needed to wear sea-stone cuffs and get a body-check done, how they were going to pull that off, she wasn't sure.

Amethyst looked around and cringed at the screams that could be heard, it was all very cold and gloomy feeling, she was feeling angered at the thought of Ace being here.

Suddenly a man with a very large pot-belly, horns and wings walked up to them, looking awkward and somewhat geeky. "Welcome to my Impel Down!" he boasted cockily, holding a pitchfork 'Was he the devil?' Amethyst thought. "Well at least it will be my Impel Down soon, I'm the Assistant-warden, Hannyabal, pleasure to meet you"

Amethyst wasn't looking forward to meeting the Warden, she had heard he was strong and had a devil fruit ability that was less than fun, either way, she knew that they had to steer clear of him. The devil looking guy kept rambling on about Hancock and some 'Lousy Warden' only to freak out once he said it and then finally got to the point of meeting the warden and being escorted by someone named 'Domino'.

A blonde woman with a thick pair of sunglasses on came in then, she was wearing a guards uniform and stood in front of Hancock, leading her deeper inside the prison. She talked about the prisoners and how they were weak but with the exception of a select few including Ace and two Warlords that she recognised, one being former. Amethyst suppressed a growl as she didn't particularly like the sound of Ace's name coming out of that woman's voice. She was also surprised to know that Jimbei was there, wasn't he a warlord?

As the blonde continued to talk they finally got to a private room so they could proceed with the body check. Hancock walked in without a hint of worry but she knew better, Amethyst followed close behind into the room, feeling a tinge of desperation, she hoped that Hancock had a plan to get through this.

"Please remove your coat," Domino requested as she closed the door, "I need to make sure you aren't hiding someone, so please hand it to me. I'm not saying I do not trust you, I have no reason to suspect you but I must inform you that there are transponder snails in here and all over Impel Down, so you are being watched"

Amethyst almost scoffed 'so much for private room' but she took a mental note about the transponder snails. Domino then held up a pair of cuffs and told her to put them on which Hancock didn't protest too but did complain about.

Hancock glanced at the transponder snail that was in the room and back to the blonde woman, she sighed then suddenly smiled, a light blush on her face and eyes looked like they were glittering and she cutely responded. "Please be gentle with me" Amethyst had to suppress the urge to gag and laugh as she saw Domino start to blush herself then all of a sudden Hancock used her ability to turn the snail and the woman into stone.

Amethyst instantly dropped her ability and leaned on the wall for support as she kept her headache under control, whispering, "Finally, Luffy you can come out now" He popped out from under Hancock's dress, his hiding spot, landing softly on the ground before standing up straight and grinning. "That was a close one, I thought I'd have to make a break for it somehow while they were distracted or something," he said, beaming.

Hancock's expression turned sad and worried "This is as far as I can take you two, I wish I could've done more to help but once I release them, I'll be put in Sea-stone cuffs and my coat will be gone so I'll have no way to use my powers or hide you Luffy," she informed sadly.

Luffy wasn't having any of it "What are you talking about? We wouldn't have made it this far without you! You managed to sneak us here with all those warships and guards! We couldn't have gotten this far safely without you! Don't worry, we'll be fine from here, right Am?"

Amethyst nodded in agreement. Hancock still looked worried "Luffy, try not to cause an uproar, if you're captured you will never leave this place alive, this is a stronghold built to keep people in, I know you're strong but please refrain from causing disturbances." Hancock then turned her attention to Amethyst "That goes for both of you, I wouldn't want you Amethyst to be put in another cell, one you have small chance of escaping"

Amethyst looked at her surprised at the worry in her tone that was directed towards her as well but shook it off, smiling in reassurance. Luffy took Hancock's hand, flustering her and responded "Right! We promise! Thanks for everything Hancock, I'll never forget what you've done for me, I'll definitely pay you back someday" Amethyst stifled a giggle at the Empress who fell to the ground, whispering about her life being complete and agreed, clicking her fingers and becoming invisible as Luffy jumped up and hid in the ceiling rafters. "Hey Hancock, you can turn them back now oh and do me a favour and don't tell Ace I'm here, if he's going to find out about Luffy I would rather he not find out about me, it'll upset him too much"

Hancock nodded and stood up quickly after finishing off her delusional muttering and turned them back to normal. Her gaze turned blank and questioning "Is there something the matter?" Hancock asked the now unfrozen, dazed blonde in a tone of indifference.

"My apologies, I must've zoned out"

Hancock pulled her coat off of her and handed it to the woman "Well get this over with already, though I must say, I don't know what you expect me to be hiding" she said, coldly.

Amethyst almost laughed out loud at that, it was all perfectly planned and she was playing it off perfectly as well, she was glad that she had come. Domino patted the Empress down thoroughly and after being satisfied, put the shackles on her wrists and lead the woman out, Amethyst and Luffy following close behind, Amethyst making sure not to bump into anyone by mistake as Domino closed the door behind them.

Domino, Hannyabal, Momonga and Hancock all went into an elevator that then disappeared, taking them out of sight. Amethyst cursed for not being at full health, otherwise, she could've followed them with her current ability, but it was getting more tiring to hold it.

As they got to a place where no one was, Luffy dropped to the ground and Amethyst dropped her ability, it was really tiring her out especially with her normal eyes but she knew that was the best option if she were to last longer. "Where's Ace's Paper thing Luffy, we can follow it," Amethyst said, Luffy pulled it out immediately and it moved, they both followed the direction it was going with their eyes and saw a staircase. "Bingo, let's go Lu"

And down they went, down a seemingly endless amount of stairs, Luffy would jump from the rafters to the floor and Amethyst would use her ability and turn it off all the time as they kept coming across guards and transponder snails, it was all very tiring. Every time they weren't sure if they were still supposed to keep going down, they would look at the Vivre card and then keep going downwards.

They finally got somewhere and followed some frantic guards through a door, they were shouting about some escapee. Once the guards were all gone and the coast was clear, Luffy dropped to the ground and Amethyst dropped her ability, hopefully for the last time or at least for a while.

"This is Level 1" she guessed quietly.

There were sudden agonised screams of tormented prisoners filling the air and Amethyst couldn't hold the grimace as flashes of her life as a slave came into her head. She felt a hand grab hers and opened her eyes that she had closed. "Ignore it, Let's go," he said calmly, but she could tell he was slightly shaken as well, she nodded and they started to walk forward.

Well, sort of.

* * *

"What the fuck was that about?!" Amethyst whisper shouted, breathing heavily as she had to use her abilities and lack there of running skills to dodge random traps that tried to kill them out of nowhere. "What the hell...?" Luffy gasped out as he also was breathing heavily. "That... was close..."

"Yeah, no shit," she cursed, still trying to steady her breathing. They finally gathered their breathing to a normal rate and looked back, questioning what the hell was up with that. Suddenly guards came out of nowhere and they were spotted. "Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me, RUN!" Amethyst shouted, sprinting beside Luffy.

They saw a hole and both jumped into it, grabbing a hold of the chain that was hanging down it and slid to the bottom. They waited for a bit, but no guards came after them, luckily.

"Well, that didn't last long," Amethyst said as she thought about their promise to not cause any disturbances. They both started to run, looking around briefly at the endless amount of cells scattered everywhere when they heard someone calling out to them. They stopped and were caught up in a conversation with some prisoners, questioning how they got out of their cell before Amethyst cut it short.

"You guys know where Ace is? Because if you don't we'll be off, we have no time to be divulging you, people," she snapped.

"You mean Fire-Fist Ace?" The prisoners asked in disbelief.

"Yes! We're gonna save Ace!" Luffy answered.

"And before you start ranting about how it's reckless and all that bullshit, _Don't_ and just get to the point," Amethyst said quickly.

"If he is here, he'll probably be down in Level 5! But you'll nev-"

Amethyst cut him off with a flick of her wrist, sending him crashing into the floor and turned to Luffy about to speak when they heard screaming coming towards them. They both turned around to see a bunch of large masked-gorillas with double-sided battle-axe's in their hands, chasing something in their direction.

"IT'S THE BLUGORI! RUN FOR IT!" the inmates started to shout but Amethyst was aggravated, dizzy and exhausted from running and she turned her eyes white and made one hand gesture and all of the gorillas were in midair, then unceremoniously smashed into the ground about ten times before she finally dropped their lifeless bodies to the floor, eyes turning back to normal.

"Now that, that is done with, shall we move on finally?" Amethyst said in a tone of satisfaction, now looking at Luffy again. But Luffy was looking behind her a weird expression on his face. She turned around and came face to face with... a clown.. or more accurately a cut in half clown who then put himself back together as if he hadn't just been put together. She cocked a brow at him.

"I'm guessing you're the escapee and the fact you just put yourself together, a devil-fruit user?" she asked, looking at the outfit he was in. He had a look of shock and terror, matching the other inmates as they all looked at her like she was some kind of freak.

"You're a monster," he said, finally getting words out of his red mouth. He then looked to Luffy and his shock increased and he screamed "STRAWHAT?! What the hell are you flashily doing here?!"

Luffy looked at him blankly, still trying to figure out who he was and then it clicked. "Oh, it's you, Buggy."

Amethyst laughed at the boredom and distaste in his voice. "You know the moron Lu?"

"Why you... don't screw around with me you lowlifes! and you straw-hat are as cheeky as ever I see, didn't know you had been caught as well!" he said mockingly, which was quite hypocritical given his current situation.

"Shut up idiot, we aren't like you, we came here of our own volition," Amethyst butted in, irritated by the clown.

"What?! What kind of idiots are you two?! unless..." he suddenly became teary "Unless you heard about my imprisonment and came to rescue me?!"

Amethyst rolled her eyes and hit buggy in the head with her fist to snap him out of his delusion "What the hell are you on about?! We were trying to keep a low profile until you came like some fucking idiot and ruined that so if you aren't going to be of any use to us we'll be off" she said, as she and Luffy turned around and started going where they were headed.

"You people ruined my Great Buggy Escape Plan!" Buggy shouted from behind them.

"Who gives a shit," Luffy said suddenly, not turning around and earning a laugh from Amethyst. Buggy started to follow them and had a shouting match with Luffy when suddenly their path was blocked by even more Blugori.

Amethyst groaned in annoyance and did the same thing she did with the previous gorillas except for a lot harsher, slamming them a lot more, she was getting highly aggravated. When she was finished she faltered a bit and took a hold of Luffy's arm, steadying herself again.

"Let me take care of it now Am! You're getting hurt and your nose is bleeding again," Luffy said worried and slightly scolding, he used his hand and wiped the blood much to her surprise. "Thanks, Lu," she said, not arguing.

Suddenly another Blugori came out of nowhere but this time Luffy gave it one good punch in the gut and it was out like a light, much to the surprise of the prisoners and pride of Amethyst. "Nice one Lil bro," she said, ruffling his hair, earning a grin.

"Wait, I've heard of you, you're Devil Eyes Amethyst of the Whitebeard Pirates! What are you flashily doing here?! And 'Lil bro'?! You're Strawhats sister?!" Buggy shouted.

"Yes yes, I'm that person and Luffy is my brother and we are here to break out Ace and yes I mean Fire-Fist fucking Ace who is Luffy's brother," Amethyst explained, exasperated.

"WHAT?! YOU WANNA SAVE ACE?! BROTHER?!"

As Luffy and Buggy conversated, the prisoners were shouting about letting them out and Amethyst glared darkly at them, shutting them right up. When she looked back to the two she saw Buggy looking creepily at Luffy's arm bracelet. "Lu, let's go already," she said.

Luffy nodded and they both started running again "See ya, Buggy! Good luck escaping!" he said, waving in farewell.

"WAIT! STRAWHAT!" Buggy screamed loud enough for the entire world to look up from what they were doing, going after the two runners.

"Shut the fuck up, you moron!" Amethyst hissed under her breath but it was too late as a bunch of guards came charging in, sounds of gunfire going off. All three starting to run faster.

"Why'd you have to shout?!" Luffy yelled but Buggy wasn't listening, he kept looking at the bracelet on his arm.

"I'll tell you the way to get to Ace!" Buggy shouted suddenly, getting both Amethyst and Luffy's attention.

"Seriously?" Luffy said. Amethyst glared at the clown, he was up to something. "Sure, but only if you give me that bracelet" and there it was, he had a greasy smile plastered on his face and Amethyst knew he was going to bolt the second he got his grubby hands on it. Luffy agreed happily.

"You try anything remotely dodgy clown and I'll do you one worse than those gorillas back there," Amethyst threatened.

Buggy blanched and nodded. He started to explain what he was going to do with Luffy as Amethyst listened. He explained the different levels and how they correlate to the criminals in each level and then how he could only take them to Level 4.

"When did you become a nice guy?" Luffy asked, now holding Buggy's feet, smiling and Amethyst noted in her head to pummel the clown if he did anything to that smile.

"Since you're giving me the treasure marker that will show me where Captain John's treasure is!" Buggy blurted out, quickly covering his mouth afterwards. Amethyst rolled her eyes 'What an idiot'

They kept running and nothing was said for a while until Luffy spoke up. "You..." Buggy tensed, scolding himself for blabbing about the bracelet. "Y-yes?"

"You're here because you're weak right?"

Amethyst laughed out loud and relished in the anger that the clown displayed as he shouted at Luffy. They both talked about the bracelet before Luffy took it off and held it out to Buggy, who voiced his surprise.

"Ace's life is more important to me than some treasure," Luffy said smiling at the clown.

Amethyst grabbed the bracelet "Luffy, you can't trust him yet, wait for when he actually gets us there, he might run away if he gets it now," she said, scolding him slightly. Luffy cocked his head at her confused. "But he said he would take us"

Amethyst shook her head a little and glared up at Buggy who had tears in his eyes. "You don't deserve his trust," she hissed, Buggy blanched again and didn't try to ask for the bracelet or more he couldn't as he crashed into a wall and Luffy who thought it was all part of the plan, grabbed a hold of Amethyst and Buggy's feet with one arm then punched through the wall with the other and they all went crashing through it. And would you look at that? A bunch of guards.

They then went crashing through the opposite wall and suddenly they were falling, Luffy and Amethyst on Buggy's body as Luffy held her in place tightly so she wouldn't fall. The place was a wide-open area and at the bottom of it was a crimson forest.

"What the hell is this?" Luffy yelled as they fell towards the forest, now floating across it. "What's a forest with a bunch of people in it doing here?"

"They're all prisoners and this isn't a normal forest, the trees are sharp like razors, the grass is needles, they both pierce and slice your body, you're chased by poisonous spiders and guards through here, so your body gets sliced up and pierced, staining everything with your blood, Welcome to Level 1: The Crimson Hell," Buggy said.

Amethyst was appalled, she couldn't fathom how the government could approve such disgusting and cruel punishments. This place was a prime example of why she hated the government. The screams were horrible but she refused to let them get to her. She blocked out the conversation Buggy and Luffy was having and just stared at everything, it was all quite horrifying. She finally felt them come to a stop and she looked forward seeing them beside a huge hole.

"Am! were you listening? we have to go down the hole to Level 2, let's go!" he shouted, letting go of her and jumping down head first. Amethyst poked Buggy in the back expectantly. "You want the bracelet then jump down clown or do I have to make you go down? Plus, Luffy has your feet you know?"

Buggy seemed to get the picture and willingly floated down, muttering curse words under his breath. And down they went, it felt like forever, after a few boring and annoying minutes of going down, they finally reached the bottom to see Luffy looking around.

Amethyst got off the clown and walked to Luffy, looking around as well, it was similar to the first Level cell block but there were so many staircases and hallways, like some maze. Luffy grabbed Buggy by the ponytail and started to drag him "Lead the way"

"Luffy, he can't lead the way if you're going to drag him, let him go," Amethyst said, though she was quite enjoying watching the clown being rag-dolled.

There was a sudden roaring in the distance that they didn't pay too much attention to. They started to run, Luffy still dragging Buggy by the hair. They got to a dead end. There was more growling and roaring heard in the distance, this time getting their attention.

"Let me guess, this Level has a bunch of monsters in it, Am I correct?" Amethyst questioned looking at the now free clown. "Yes, this is the Accursed Beast Hell and it's even worse than the crimson hell," Buggy said, confirming her suspicions.

Luffy was facing the opposite way as them and pointed at something. "Is that one of them?"

Buggy and Amethyst turned around, one slowly and scared and the other calmly, and they saw something come out of the shadows.

"That looks like a baby hippo to me," Amethyst said disappointed that her expectations weren't met when her eyes landed on the small animal.

All three started commenting on how it was just a hippo, no matter how you look at it, it was just a small hippo. Buggy started to walk towards it, muttering things under his breath and then Amethyst and Luffy's eyes widened as they saw the hippo's mouth grow in size and swallow Buggy's torso. "Oh, I am not dealing with that" Amethyst said, her eyes turning white and she made a hand gesture, the hippo was lifted in the air, mouth suddenly forced open and Buggy's body being pulled out by an invisible force. The hippo was then cruelly slammed into - ahem - _through_ the wall. Her eyes turned back to normal but this time no headache, her eyes were burning, though.

"GAAAAAH! SHE'S CRYING BLOOD!" Buggy shouted dramatically, pointing at Amethyst's face rudely.

"AM! I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO ANYTHING!" Luffy shouted annoyed, now wiping the blood that trailed from her eyes. "Sorry Luffy," she said softly trying to stifle a laugh at the face he was making.

"I could've gotten myself out of there," Buggy said ungratefully. "You're welcome big-nose," Amethyst snapped back. He started to yell at her but she ignored him. Luffy grabbed her arm and started running all over the place, looking for a way out, but there was nothing, no staircase downwards, no helpful sign that she would fail to read.

Buggy looked up suddenly and the other two came to an abrupt stop. "What is it?" Luffy asked. "I think I saw something up there," he said in uncertainty.

"It's probably another stupid beast," Amethyst said, getting ready for whatever was coming. All three stood there for a couple of seconds before something fell from above and cut Buggy up into pieces. "AAAAAAAHHH! CHOP CHOP QUICK ESCAPE!" he shouted, before him and all of his pieces floated behind Amethyst and Luffy, reassembling as they did so.

"That is one big bug," Amethyst said, Luffy nodding in agreement beside her. The bug slashed at them again, causing no harm to Buggy, Luffy jumped back before it could get him, Amethyst, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky as she jumped away but got cut in the stomach, her singlet ripping, as she did so. "Shit," she cursed, holding the newly made wound. "He sure can cut," she said calmly, impressed as the initial pain wore off. Luffy who was worried at first then nodded in agreement, now mesmerised.

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE IMPRESSED!" Buggy yelled as the large Preying Mantis started to swing its scythes, cutting the brick walls as if they were paper, showing off its skills. Buggy and Luffy clapped at the display, where as Amethyst just stared at it. Then she laughed as it struck forward and seemingly got itself stuck like a moron.

Amethyst walked past it, now tired of the stupidity of these 'Accursed Beasts' she heard Buggy and Luffy following behind, talking among themselves. She looked down at her stomach and now ripped singlet and grabbed the loose material, ripping it off all the way around, so it now looked cropped, some of her stomach and back were now showing. She held the ripped material to the cut.

"I'm sorry"

She jumped at the sudden voice and looked to see Luffy standing beside her, an ashamed look on his face.

"What for?" she asked confused.

"I said I would protect you and you got hurt," he said looking at her stomach. She sighed and patted his head with her free hand. "It's not your fault Luffy, I wasn't fast enough" she reassured but he just shook his head still looking ashamed.

"Come on, don't be like that, it's just a small cut, plus look it's already healing," she said making him look at the cut and saw that she was telling the truth, it was healing.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Luffy said mesmerised. She laughed and patted his head again before glancing back at Buggy who looked annoyed.

There was suddenly another roar, except this one was really loud and very strong, so strong that it caused an uproar of wind and sent the stuck preying mantis flying through the air. All three looked up and came face to face with a humongous bird-like creature, it was like a mix of a chicken and a lizard but not laughable whatsoever.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa...aaa...a... AM! I SAID NO POWER USING!" Luffy shouted as he and Buggy's screams died down as the mutated beast's neck snapped swiftly as she made a simple hand gesture. Amethyst quickly wiped the blood from her nose and smiled. "It's fine Luffy, I only used it a little," she said reassuringly but he wasn't having it, giving her the silent treatment now. She rolled her eyes and let him do what he wanted to get over it.

As they were about to start running again to find a way to get to Level 3, Buggy had taken it upon himself to play around with the prisoners in the cells around them, who were shouting praises, even though he didn't do anything to deserve praise. "Clown! we're in a hurry if it weren't blatantly obvious," Amethyst shouted angrily. He finally threw the keys he was dangling around into one of the cells, the prisoners hastily unlocking the cells and getting out and Luffy dragged him along as they started to run again.

"Hurry up and show us to Level 3 Buggy!" Luffy shouted.

"I don't know how to get to Level 3! It's like a maze in here, NOW LET ME GO STRAWHAT!" Buggy barked at him. "What the hell? You said you would take us to Level 4!" Luffy shouted back.

"He lied Luffy, he just wanted the treasure marker," Amethyst said, annoyed.

Luffy came to an abrupt stop, looking angrily at the clown. The prisoners who had unlocked themselves from their cells suddenly rushed back in, closing the cell doors behind them, all running from different directions just to get back in their cells, panicked looks on their faces. "What the hell? Didn't you people want to get out of your cells?" Amethyst asked confused at the sudden change of heart.

"We were reckless, we can't escape with the boss of the floor still roaming around," a prisoner said as he slammed the cell door closed. The others started shouting in agreement. Buggy, on the other hand, had changed his tune "Right, so I'll show you guys how to get to Level 3!"

"DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY YOU DIDN'T KNOW BIG NOSE!?" Luffy yelled at him. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING BIG NOSE?!" Buggy yelled back.

Amethyst was too busy looking at someone else who had appeared "Who are you?" she asked threateningly, glaring at the figure.

"If you're having troubles, maybe I could be of some assistance," the person said, Buggy and Luffy turned to the voice and looked confused.

"Who're you?" Buggy questioned.

"It's been too long, Straw Hat and as a man who repays debts, I shall repay you for freeing me," the strange man said, smirking.

Luffy looked much like how he did when Buggy first presented himself, confused and trying to figure out who exactly this was.

"WAIT! you're that guy who was on the Giant's Island, 3!" Luffy shouted after much confusion, finally recognising the person.

"IT'S MR.3!" Mr.3 corrected angrily.

"Okay, well seeing as you've now reunited, I think we should fight those beasts that happen to be grouped over there," Amethyst interrupted, making the other three look to where she was indicating and they saw all of the beasts they came across before except for the Basilisk and including a few Human-faced Lions and giant scorpions. Great.

"Can I use my powers Luffy?" Amethyst asked to which he violently shook his head, rejecting the idea, she sighed and nudged her head towards the now charging creatures. "You three have to fight then, we don't have time to run forever," she said.

Luffy nodded, getting ready, the other two as well though more reluctantly. Luffy's fist came into contact with the Scorpion that then exploded into smaller scorpions. Buggy and Mr.3 were holding their own and fighting pretty well, Amethyst interested with the wax powers of Mr.3. The scorpions were coming after them and All four bolted then. They ran everywhere, up, down, here, there, this way, that way, through hallways and corridors and stairs. Until finally they got away thanks to Buggy using his legs as a distraction.

Buggy, however, was boasting and laughing so loudly that the distraction was useless for his big mouth had blown their cover.

"Nice going Moron," Amethyst shouted as they began running again. She almost stopped in surprise when she heard some of the beasts talking. "What the fuck?"

"They're Manticores, they can imitate human speech," Mr.3 explained.

They started shouting random words and phrases, Amethyst started to laugh as she heard them say something stupid but then smacked Luffy in the head when he got distracted by one naming food.

"Hey, glasses guy! you said you would help us right?" Amethyst asked getting Mr.3's attention.

"It's Mr.3! and yes, of course, we need to help each other so that we can escape from here right?" he answered, panting for air.

"Didn't you hear us before? We want to get to Level 3 not escape, how do we get further down?" She asked, furrowing her brows at him.

"WHAT?! YOU AREN'T ESCAPING?!" he shouted in indignation.

"I just said that didn't I?" she said annoyed.

"They're planning to free Ace, Straw Hats brother and Devil eyes crew member," Buggy said in distaste as he ran backwards so that Mr.3 could see his face.

"WHAT? BROTHER?! DEVIL EYES AMETHYST?! STRAWHAT, YOU AND FIRE-FIST ARE SIBLINGS?! AND YOU'RE BOTH HERE TO RESCUE HIM?" Mr.3 cried out.

"YES! YOU FUCKING IDIOT BIG-NOSE JUST SAID THAT! SO FUCKING GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!" Amethyst shouted, losing her cool momentarily before calming down again. "We're in a hurry if it wasn't obvious"

Mr.3 was going to protest but when he saw the severe look on her face, decided against it. "Alright! Let us go together" he said enthusiastically, baffling Buggy and making Amethyst roll her eyes as she knew he probably had some ulterior motive like the clown. They all ran deeper down a flight of stairs, following Mr.3.

They ran for a while, Mr.3 starting to shout until he ran into something big and grey but breathing, so not a wall. They all stopped and looked up and watched as the big, greyish breathing creature turned its head, looking at what had just bumped into it. "Is that a giant Manticore?"

The creatures that were chasing them before had come to an abrupt stop as well, seeing the huge beast they had bumped into and turned right around, bolting away, forgetting about their current prey.

"Well, that's always a good sign," Amethyst said calmly and sarcastically. She couldn't take it anymore, the running and stopping and running and stopping and screaming and conversation, it was all starting to piss her off. So with a flick of the wrist, she lifted the beast high and slammed it down as hard as she could. But what she didn't calculate was the floor breaking and them all falling through it. Yeah, she really should've seen it coming.

"Good thinking Am! Now we can get to Level 3!" Luffy shouted as they were falling, she was glad he wasn't mad at her for using her power.

They fell and fell through the darkness, it was like a vortex of darkness, feeling like much longer of a drop than the previous one. Amethyst saw a light, coming fast and quickly turned her eyes red and made a hand gesture before landing hard on the beast who cushioned her fall. She rolled on her back and groaned in pain, looking up and sighed in relief, seeing Luffy and the other two floating there looking confused. She placed Luffy down gently on the beast and dropped the other two the rest of the way, eyes turning back to normal.

"Am! You okay? Your ears are bleeding!" Luffy asked worried at the sight of a tired and groaning Amethyst. She waved off his worry with her hand, smiling lightly. "Don't worry little brother, I'm fine"

"You're siblings as well?! What kind of messed up family do you have?!" Mr.3 shouted from the place he was dropped on the Beast.

Luffy ignored the remark and helped Amethyst up on her feet, she stood up and steadied herself, testing her weight on both legs before letting go of him. "I'm fine Luffy, really," He didn't look convinced but nodded.

They all then looked around, everywhere was covered in a layer of sand, it was blazingly hot and bright, the light was blinding, a stark contrast to the darkness of the other floors but the heat... the heat was almost unbearable.

"Dammit, we're in Level 3, WHY'D YOU PEOPLE HAVE TO DRAG US HERE?!" Buggy yelled furiously.

Amethyst and Luffy ignored them, jumping off the beast and starting to walk in no particular direction. "Let's just go!" Luffy shouted.

They all started to walk quickly, then slowly, then started to trudge, they were all exhausted, panting hard and dragging their feet and there was no staircase or literally anything in sight, Mr.3 looked the worst, not surprising considering his devil fruit power.

"Luffy, don't eat th- and you already ate it," Amethyst said in exasperation as she saw Luffy eat a roasted bird that fell from the sky, most likely roasted by the ridiculously hot wind, she wasn't even going to question how there was a bird in here or why the hell it was so damn hot... actually maybe she will. "Why the hell... is it so hot?"

"Stop talking... wasting energy..." Mr.3 croaked out.

She didn't snap at him and instead pointed towards something in the distance "I think I see cells," she said.

They all looked where she was pointing and Buggy and Luffy went sprinting off towards it. Amethyst looked at Mr.3 and felt a tinge of worry. "Want me to use my ability to get you over there?"

The man looked startled and stared at her about to agree but then shook his head. "It's fine," he said.

She nodded and wanting to get there faster, grabbed his arm and dragged him with her as she ran towards the other two now standing in front of the cells. Luffy was peering curiously through the bars, questioning what was in there. She looked in as she got there and was shocked at the prisoners who looked almost like skeletons, they were so skinny and dehydrated. "All the prisoners here were criminals with bounties of over 50 million berries. The heat rising up from the inferno hell below us, as well as the fact that hardly any food and water is served, has left all the prisoners here half-dead if not already," Mr.3 said grimly. "This is Level 3, The Starvation Level," he croaked out tiredly.

"I just saw that skull crumble into dust, does that mean what I think it means?" Amethyst asked suddenly, voice full of disgust at the whole scene in front of her.

"That the sand you're standing on here, could be the dried up remains of dead prisoners? Then yes," Mr.3 answered. All four looked around taking in the horror of the Level. It was truly despicable to think that something like this actually exists.

"Let's hurry to Level 4 already," Luffy said.

"YOU'RE GOING THERE?!" Buggy and Mr.3 shouted in horror.

Amethyst glared at them both "We've said it so many times, we are going to Ace and Ace is on Level 5 so if I hear so much as a cry of surprise from you two again, I will use my powers to lock you in that cell," she threatened and they both nodded quickly, not wanting to anger her further.

They all then started to argue on which way to go from there, they weren't sure which way they should go. They all finally decided on a direction and walked through the burning hot environment, sweating bullets for what felt like a millennium only to be back at the out-cold beast, where they had started. Amethyst was getting increasingly aggravated, her emotions kept going up and down and she had enough already.

"It's been a few hours already Luffy, we can't keep walking, I'm using my ability to at least just get us to the next floor, okay?" Amethyst suggested, feeling desperation claw at her chest. Luffy nodded reluctantly, he wanted to save Ace and they were just wasting time but he was also worried about her.

"We're not going!" The other two shouted and Amethyst rolled her eyes at them. "Fine, then don't come, I'm keeping the bracelet and you two can stay here and turn to sand," she responded coldly.

She grabbed Luffy's hand and hoped it worked. She's never tried to teleport someone else with her, she knew it was dangerous and reckless but at this point, she didn't care, they were nearly at Level 5 but were making no headway as of yet, this was their best chance. Her eyes turned red and she closed them, rolling her eyes as she felt three hands grab her shoulder and clicked her fingers.

* * *

Ace was sitting in his cell staring at nothing in particular, he felt cold, on the outside as well as on the inside, he was accepting his fate and it felt like his insides had frozen and everything felt numb. He heard multiple footsteps but didn't look up at them until one of them acknowledged him specifically.

"You have a special visitor, Ace, Bet you can't guess who it is," Hannyabal said in a playful tone, then looked at the prisoner next to him "Jimbei, I'm sure you've heard of her, you probably never met her but her reputation does precede her," he added, stepping back to reveal the 'special visitor'.

"The Empress of the Kuja Tribe and one of the Seven Warlords and the most beautiful woman in the entire world, Boa Hancock"

Ace and Jimbei looked up in surprise, ignoring the blabbering of the Vice-warden and the confetti that came out of nowhere. Prisoners from all around cried in surprise and shock as another man came out, he was dressed in a black suit with black wings on his back and horns on his head but what frightened them the most was his face, sharp teeth, a thick beard and dark, angry looking eyes, it was Magellan, the man who ate the Poison devil fruit and also the Warden of Impel Down. Behind them were Momonga, Domino and Hancock's pet snake. More prisoners started to shout, but for a different reason, crying about how beautiful the Empress was, how nice she smelled and even going as far to tell her to go closer to their cells like she was prey.

Hancock ignored them and walked closer to the cell, eyes full of interest. Ace, on the other hand, had an expression of indifference, seemingly unaffected by her presence. "What do you want with me?" he asked coldly.

"Nothing, in particular, I merely wanted to see you with my own eyes. The man who served as a trigger for the war I'm about to participate in," she said calmly.

Ace felt anger rise in him. "So what? I'm some item on display?" Hancock continued to stare at him, not answering and ignoring the constant perverse shouts from behind her.

"The Pirate Empress who refused to listen to anyone, no matter what was said to her and now? You really want to keep your position as Warlord that badly?" Jimbei sneered at her, thoroughly disappointed and confused.

She barely gave him a glance. "So, you're Jimbei. Don't be so spiteful," she said casually, waving him off as if he weren't of any importance to her.

The Wardens voice roared throughout the room as he started to shout for the prisoners to shut up as Hancock was trying to have a conversation but was only met with insults thrown back at him.

Hancock turned away from Ace's cell and to one of the other cells much to the prisoners' pleasure. "You just keep taunting me with bad words," She started, then held a hand up to her face, blush on her cheeks and eyes shining "I'm just so scared," she continued cutely.

To say the prisoners lost control, would be an understatement, the prisoners went _ballistic_ , they were shouting and throwing themselves at the bars, trying to reach for her and some even shouting insults at Magellan telling him to hand her over to them. Momonga scoffed and muttered something about how unrefined this place was.

Magellan had also taken to look star-struck at the Empress but then snapped out of it, anger taking over his features "I will not take such insolence!" he shouted, eyes turning cold and blood-red as a dark purple substance started to seep from his body. A dark haze starting to emulate off of his body as he was now covered with the purple substance from head to toe. Hannyabal started to protest, saying that he was putting them all in danger.

Purple tendrils began to take shape and come out of his back, forming into what looked like three dragon heads each one dripping with poison from their necks and their fangs. Each one moving as if they had a life of their own.

"Don't get carried away you scum," Magellan said coldly, shutting the prisoners up straight away as they quickly realised the danger that was fast approaching. They started to scream bloody murder about as he had brought out the 'Hydra' hydra and moved hastily to the back of their cells.

Ace wasn't paying attention as Hancock leaned closer to the cell and began to speak. "Luffy has come here to rescue you," she whispered loud enough for him to hear.

Ace froze in shock, eyes widening with horror, he didn't even notice the cries of pain and despair as multiple prisoners were covered in a layer of poison that would slowly but surely kill them. His mouth opened but nothing came out, he felt like he was breaking, close to having a panic attack, like he was screaming silently at the thought of his little brother coming here, to such a place, it was unfathomable. His head was pounding with realisation and dread.

Magellan had finished threatening and dooming the prisoners and returned back to normal, poison seeping back into his body and eyes returning to their normal tint of colour. He walked to Hancock and nodded politely "You may take your time and say what you need"

She brushed him off and turned around "No need, I'm finished here," she said coolly.

"WAIT!" Ace shouted after her, surprising a lot of the people there. "Is what you just said... is it true?"

She smiled a little bit at him as she turned slightly "I have no reason to lie to you..." she let out a huff of amusement "Right... she did say you would be upset," she muttered to herself before walking away, followed closely behind by her pet snake and everyone else that had come in with her.

After they finally left, Jimbei had turned to Ace, worry and interest marring his face and asked what she had said to him for him to react as he was.

Ace's face was dark with confusion and anxiety, his little brother had come to save him, he was risking his life as he sat here, his little brother who was the object of his protection since he was a child. "She said that... my brother is here...to rescue me"

Jimbei's eyes widened in shock "That Straw Hat kid you always go on about? How reckless of him!" he cried out.

Ace felt like his brain was about to explode, all he could think about was his little brother running around this place getting hurt and worse being caught and having to suffer in here because he was trying to save someone as worthless as himself. He couldn't think, couldn't grasp a stable thought at all, so many emotions were racing through him when suddenly all the emotions that were clouding him at lightning speed were over-shadowed by one... fear.

He hung limply from the chains that held him, he was lost in his own head, not paying attention to anything, not aware of anything but his own mind that was on a rampage. His eyes filled with worry and pain, he shut them tightly and whispered, voice cracking as he did so. "Whatever you do... don't- please... just don't come here Luffy!"


	11. Chapter 11: The Stretch for Freedom

_**I was thinking of splitting this chapter in half and making it two but then decided against it. Also let's all just assume Blackbeard and Luffy have never met.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Oda owns One Piece.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 11.**

* * *

Why was it so dark? Why was it so hot? She felt her skin becoming even sweatier than before, tingling at the heat that was seeping into it, it felt like she was still in that godforsaken desert but worse somehow, she couldn't see or hear anything, was she dead? Is this what death was like? Hot and relentless? She felt pain, so much pain... was being dead supposed to be painful?

She could vaguely hear a voice, one voice, two voices, three voices, four voices, why were there so many voices? Why were they screaming... she heard one, in particular, screaming her name, it sounded terrified and worried.. why did it sound so worried? Why was her chest hurting so much hearing it become clearer and louder? The burning uncomfortableness was intensifying, getting hotter and hotter, she needed to get out of here, she needed to reach that voice. So she pushed and pushed, getting closer to the voice through the void darkness.

She gasped suddenly, her eyes flinging open, she coughed hysterically, eyes burning and skin sticking together.

"AM! YOU'RE AWAKE!"

She looked to the voice and saw Luffy, it was Luffy! "Luffy! Are you okay?! Whe- ARE WE FALLING!?" she shouted finally realising her surroundings as they were seemingly falling through a bountiful amount of steam, so that's why she was sweating and burning up.

"YEAH! IT WORKED BUT NOW ALL FIVE OF US ARE FALLING!" Luffy yelled back, tears in his eyes.

Amethyst looked around and saw the others their falling with them, Buggy, Zoro and Mr.3, Buggy and Mr.3 were screaming curse words at her and Luffy and all of them were crying as well. She looked down trying to figure out where they were.

"How'd I end up in this situation?!" Buggy shouted, tears falling - rising from his eyes.

"I don't want to go to Level Four!" Mr.3 cried out.

"This is bad! We're headed straight for the Cauldron of Blood!" Zoro panicked in a very un-Zoro-like manner... wait what?

"WAIT! WHAT THE FUCK IS MOSS HEAD DOING HERE?!" Amethyst shouted in confusion as she remembered three hands on her shoulders, four voices and now a random appearance from Zoro.

"We're Falling!" Luffy shouted and Amethyst snapped out of her stupor, looking down to see what looked like the 'Cauldron of Blood' that Zoro was crying about. She felt blood dripping from her face but ignored it, eyes turning crimson and she made a quick hand gesture before they ultimately met their death. And suddenly they were all floating, Amethyst had taken a hold of Buggy, much to his annoyance.

They all looked down to see they were floating over a huge stone bridge pathway that was built over a huge Cauldron of what looked like boiling blood, the stone itself looked like it was glowing red slightly from how hot it was. There were chains hanging from the roof, reminiscent of the ones that were in Thriller Bark.

Amethyst felt her vision becoming spotty and carefully put them down on the stone pathway only for all of them to start jumping around, the air and ground were ridiculously hot.

"HOT HOT HOT! THE DAMN FLOOR IS HOT!" Buggy yelled, hopping around.

"The air's so hot," Mr.3 cried out, "It feels like my lungs are on fire!"

"Hurry! we have to hurry and get out of here! Which way do we go?!" Luffy panted, bouncing around much like the other two. Amethyst, however, was not paying attention to those three as she saw Zoro suddenly turn into a different person and start twirling and dancing around happily. "BON CLAY!" Luffy shouted suddenly and the two weirdos started to conversate. Amethyst was exasperated, how is it that they kept running into people that Luffy knew? Luffy seemed to have a good reaction to this one, so she didn't question it too much, especially hearing Bon Clay scream something about friendship, she knew he wasn't a bad guy like the other two morons.

Bon Clay started to dance again as Luffy went back to freaking out. "You guys are hopeless, the fire isn't hot at all!" he shouted, laughing happily.

He started to dance a bit slower, sweat starting to drip off of his face. "Not that I don't understand how you feel though," Bon Clay added, moving around them and Amethyst could see him starting to sweat even more. "This place is a little hotter than Level 3, don't you think?" he asked as his smile began to fade and his shoes started to burn because of the hot floor. "It IS kinda hot... I do feel like I'm being roasted here." He stopped suddenly, his entire face turning a shade of red that would rival the boiling blood and he started to scream "HOT!" making the other three idiots shout at him.

Amethyst was trying to hold in the pain from her... everywhere, she could barely feel the burning of her legs, as she sat exhausted on the burning stone, as the pain from her head was distracting her as well as the situation they were in. "I'm surrounded by morons," she gasped out.

Luffy suddenly started looking around, his nose twitching slightly as he sniffed the air then a big grin appeared on his face, without any warning he grabbed Amethyst by the waist and lifted her, sprinting off in one direction.

"Luffy slow down, what's happening?" Amethyst asked as she was less than gracefully being carried by the teen.

She heard Bon Clay shout behind her about the kitchen being in this direction and running close behind him, and she rolled her eyes, of course, it is. She would've protested but seeing as Luffy was using up a bit of energy and so was she most definitely, food might be a good energy boost. "Hot hot hot hot hot!" Luffy cried out before suddenly his expression turned dreamy "Smells nice... Hot hot! Smells nice..."

Amethyst suppressed the urge to laugh and hit him all at the same time. She saw a bunch of guards in front of them and instead left it for Luffy to deal with as she readjusted herself, now wrapping her body around his so that she was latching onto his back, arms around his neck.

She watched as he grinned maniacally and silently felt sorry for the guards, knowing nothing good was coming their way.

"GUM GUM... FIREWORKS!" Luffy cried and exploded his limbs out, he looked like an exploding firework, knocking them straight off the bridge. "Nice one Lu!" Amethyst complimented the grinning teen who then landed on the floor.

But she spoke too soon as something fell from the ceiling just as he did so, blocking their once clear pathway and Luffy narrowly avoiding it. It was a gloopy, purple substance that as it came into contact with the stone floor, started to hiss and melt.

"What the hell is that?! Jelly?" Luffy shouted as he bounced around again. Suddenly more drops fell and hit the ground, hissing as they made an impact and only then they realised that the purple substance was actually burning the floor.

Amethyst got off Luffy, shoes starting to burn and looked up eyes squinting trying to make out a clear image of what she was seeing and eyes then widening in shock as she saw a large man dropping from the ceiling and landing in front of Luffy with a resounding crash that sent smoke flying up and Bon Clay screamed in panic at the sight of the person, she then realised the absent presence of the other two they came with and made a mental note to pay them back.

"You've been running about too freely for far too long," The large man said, voice booming and echoing across the area. The smoke that was obscuring his face now clearing, revealing mercilessly angry eyes and a darkness in his face, he looked as if he were about to kill them all then and there. Amethyst's eyes travelled to the substance dripping from his body and sizzling as it made contact with the floor and then it clicked, he was...

"Who're you?" Luffy questioned boldly, looking confused and annoyed at the disturbance of the person.

"M-Magellan!" Bon Clay choked out as he stared at 'Magellan', panicking.

"This is the end for you, Persistent Vermin!" Magellan hissed.

Amethyst stood up straight now, ignoring the shooting pain going through her body and glared defiantly at the large man with Luffy beside her who looked just as unfazed but he did glance worriedly at Amethyst who looked as if she may faint at any given moment, she was in a lot of pain but she was also not going to give the man the satisfaction of seeing her looking weak.

Her attention was caught when she heard the guards that remained who were behind them start shouting words of warning and danger, getting to their feet and gasping in horror as they saw the man standing before all of them.

"We'd almost gotten to the place where that nice smell was coming from! What the hell?!" Luffy said annoyed and frustrated as he looked up at Magellan who had blocked his once cleared path "We're in a hurry! So move out of our way!" he shouted defiantly.

Amethyst knew angering the man wasn't smart, but she knew even if they didn't he was going to do with them what he wanted, so she didn't care as much.

"You heard him, move the fuck away. You're getting your _poison_ everywhere _Warden._ What an unfortunate devil fruit to have considering the cleanup," Amethyst hissed mockingly, a smirk on her face. She was hoping that Luffy had caught the message of the Wardens devil fruit power and would have his guard up, but knowing Luffy she wasn't sure.

"You're both high-spirited I see. But rest assured... soon there will be no need to tire yourselves out anymore" Magellan said slowly, his mild interest quickly fading the longer he looked at the two criminals and listened to them talk down to him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Luffy shouted and Amethyst knew he hadn't caught on, cursing under her breath.

"STRAW HAT! YOU CAN'T FIGHT HIM!" Bon Clay cried out from behind them. Luffy and Amethyst looked back at Bon Clay and saw him pointing at the warden shakily, fear all over his face. "That's Magellan he's the Warden of Impel Down and he has the power of the Poison-Poison Devil Fruit! You both should run away!" he warned frantically.

"So, he's a poison man," Luffy inquired, interested as he turned back around to face the poison-sweating man.

Magellan looked darkly down at the two in front of him, smirking. "Straw Hat Luffy, the famous rookie who I hear has caused trouble wherever he has gone and Devil Eyes Amethyst, The mysterious escapee and member of the Whitebeard pirates, I have not heard much about you or your strength but I know both of you have opposed the authority of the Navy and the World Government and as Warden of Impel Down you have disgraced me by being able to break into this legendary and impenetrable prison," his smirk now dropping into a sneer.

"I know what you've come here for. You want to free your brother, Commander of Whitebeard Pirates Second Division, Portgas.D Ace!" he continued cockily as if the information would faze them somehow.

Amethyst looked at him blandly despite the anxiety and physical pain churning inside of her "Wow, good for you, you know of some information. But, do you actually think that I'll let you harm Luffy? I mean he's my little brother too," she scoffed, not afraid of informing him.

Magellan looked at her with a new peak of curiosity but not at all threatened by her words "So, you're also siblings." he questioned, "Now that I look at you, those freckles do look familiar, though the face wasn't so... calm" he said mockingly making both people growl angrily at the audacity.

"It will be impossible for you to reach him, much less escape." Magellan declared. "Enough of this now. After capturing you both, I will torture you both and find out exactly how you two managed to break in," Magellan declared darkly.

Luffy sneered at that, narrowing his eyes at Magellan. "I'll die before telling you that!"

Magellan smirk widened horribly as if the thought amused him. No doubt that it did. "Funny, they all seem to say that before being tortured but you two will not be experiencing even something as pleasant as torturing"

Bon clay started shouting warnings at both Amethyst and Luffy but neither budged, they both had a mutual goal and bigger things to worry about and they weren't going to let some Government scum try and stop them.

"I'll win! We both will!" Luffy declared.

But Bon Clay wasn't budging either "Let's go back to where we were and instead we'll go the opposite way! Forget about the food and we'll run to level 5 together!" Bon Clay shouted, desperately trying to convince them.

"Won't work, Level 5 is being heavily guarded and everywhere else you may think to escape has been sealed, you have nowhere to run!" Magellan informed.

Bon clay screamed in dismay "NO WAY!" and started to back away, they were trapped in here with him.

Magellan's body suddenly was covered in the purple poison as if he had been dumped in a bucket of jelly. The poison leaked from his body in hefty clumps and suddenly three dragon-like heads rose from his body, dripping death and surrounded them.

"Is that poison?!" Luffy shouted in shock.

A dripping head struck at Luffy, he jumped out of the way, dodging it easily, causing Bon Clay to jump away also, Amethyst, however, was too weak to move as fast. She cursed, eyes turning stark white and made a hand gesture, the head halting in midair as it came close to hitting her. She felt the already dripping blood now trickling down in a faster pace, from her burned legs, wounded stomach and face, she felt the warmth running down and heard it sizzling into nothing as it hit the hot stone that was now burning her feet.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luffy reeling back to attack "LUFFY DON'T!" she shouted, feeling relief and shock fill her as she watched Bon Clay stop his attack from making contact with the poison by taking the hit himself.

Bon Clay jumped up from where he fell down in pain and tackled Luffy to the floor, now rolling away from Magellan.

Magellan glanced at Amethyst curiously and frustrated as she somehow held the hydra head in midair but he quickly looked away and sent the other two heads flying towards the two on the floor. Amethyst cursed, biting her lip and drawing blood, white eyes licking with red as she forced herself to change them, blood now seeping from her body at an alarming speed, vision spotty and head pounding as she made another hand gesture and the two hydra heads hit an invisible wall that was in front of the pair, they kept relentlessly smashing against the invisible wall and Amethyst was over exerting herself, trying to hold the two abilities.

"BONCLAY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Luffy shouted furiously.

"If you get soaked in it or even touch it, you will be a goner!" Bon Clay shouted back, poking and shaking Luffy as he did so, trying to get the information through his rubber brain before he did something even more reckless.

"How am I supposed to fight him if I can't even touch him, then!?" Luffy demanded.

"That's what I'm saying! You can't fight him!" Bon Clay shouted as anger and fear were present in his eyes and voice.

"No way!" Luffy shouted in disbelief "Can't I do anything here?!"

"LUFFY! YOU BOTH NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE! I CAN'T HOLD THEM BACK MUCH LONGER!" Amethyst shouted out desperately to them.

Luffy's head shot up and his whole being was shocked, he saw Amethyst, her face was covered in blood, it was dripping relentlessly and hitting the floor, creating a puddle beneath her and he then noticed the two hydra heads attacking an invisible wall above him and Bon Clay. She was hurting herself.

"I told you it's useless," Magellan said darkly as more poison seeped from his body. "Don't you understand?" And then just like that, two more Hydra heads rose from his body.

"AM!" Luffy shouted hopelessly as he looked at her struggling. She smiled a little at him. "GO! NOW! I'LL BE FINE! HOW CAN I DIE AND LEAVE A WEAKLING LIKE YOU BEHIND?!" she shouted jokingly, voice strained with pain.

Luffy remembered those words, they were Ace's words, he was going to leave another sibling behind and not know if they were okay. Amethyst saw him hesitating and made the other two hydra heads halt as they were about to attack them as well. She felt blood vessels in her eyes pop and bit her lip again, harder so that she wouldn't cry out in pain. She looked at Bon Clay with pleading eyes hoping he would get the message.

Bon Clay watched the ordeal, tears in his eyes as he did so, he caught the look from Amethyst and gasped but nodded in understanding, he grabbed Luffy by the wrist and pulled him with all his strength, forcing him to run away beside him.

Magellan turned his attention to the girl and glared darkly. "Your devil fruit ability is strong, but you are on your last legs"

She saw the look in his eyes and felt panic finally rise in her, she made another hand gesture, bigger than the last and flung Magellan a few metres away, taking his Hydra heads with him and she clicked her fingers, becoming invisible and forced her burning legs to run in the direction that Luffy and Bon Clay were running in.

As she got closer to them she could hear Luffy chanting in worry and anger and also about being hungry and she smiled despite the pain. She looked back and was appalled to see Magellan attacking his own men, claiming that they were in the way. Disgusting.

She looked forward again and caught up to the two, now running beside Luffy, she hit him in the head, causing him to look around frantically, trying to find the source of the sudden strike. She dropped her ability and was grinning at him "Nice to see someone still has an appetite"

Luffy looked at her shocked and then grinned "AM! YOU MADE IT!" he shouted happily. Bon Clay looked happy and relieved as well. "You're quite powerful, I must say," he said impressed.

"Yeah, a fat difference that made, we're still running and I'm basically bathing in my own blood trying to pretend I'm not in excruciating pain," Amethyst said.

Bon Clay seemed to contemplate something as they ran and suddenly jerked to the side, a Hydra that was after them crashing into the floor and sending a wave of white smoke that shadowed their view. Amethyst and Luffy stopped and looked around trying to figure out what he was doing. When the smoke cleared they saw Luffy... a second Luffy. Bon Clay had transformed into Luffy, dancing around like a ballerina shouting out different attacks that were supposed to imitate Luffy's. Bon Clay the went over to the two and whispered "You two should make an escape now, while I distract him"

"Hey, Bon, you forgot the clothes," Luffy said. Amethyst grabbed a hold of the Bon-Luffy and the actual Luffy and started to run again as the Hydra was following close behind. "That was a stupid plan," she said.

Bon Clay now running as himself. "You have a better idea?!"

Suddenly Luffy drifted from them and ran up to the rail, stretching and grabbing onto a rafter hanging over the cauldron, he cried in pain as it burned his hands on contact but Luffy got over it and turned to the Hydra that was following him "TRY AND GET ME HYDRA!" he shouted, then swinging downwards and sweeping upwards, causing one of the Hydra heads to follow and be destroyed in the fire below.

Amethyst had to let out a breath of relief as she watched, she blinked and suddenly there was a blue bubble being formed in Magellan's mouth and he reared his head back then flinging it forward, sending the bubble straight for Luffy. "LUFFY! DODGE!" she shouted and he did just in time as it exploded but her relief was short-lived as a huge white cloud formed beneath him clouding their vision of him. It cleared up in time for them to see him cry out in pain.

"AH! What the hell?! My eyes itch like crazy! and I can't stop sneezing, I can't fight like this!"

Amethyst watched as the Hydra halted in front of him and she got a bad feeling. "Bon Clay, let me get on your back!"

Bon Clay didn't question and nodded. She got on his back and her eyes turned red, she made a hand gesture and made Bon Clay float with her on top of him, she flew them all the way to Luffy and jumped off of Bon Clay, then sending him back to where they were, he didn't need to be put in danger, it wasn't his fight.

She grabbed Luffy by the hand and ran for it, trying to get away from the Warden who had now started to try and strike them with his horns that were now placed on his hands, melting the stone as it came in contact with the poison attack. They were leaning against a wall, trying to steady their breathing, Luffy slid down the wall, tears running down his eyes because of the gas.

"We... have to save... Ace" he said, gasping for air.

"I know Lu, we will, I know we will," Amethyst reassured but she felt her own eyes watering, gas had gotten to her as she struggled to get away.

Magellan looked down at them from his position and glared darkly. "In the end," Magellan said, pulling his arm out of the melted wall, "All three of you siblings," he jumped down so that he was now cornering them both "Will suffer the same fate!"

She grabbed Luffy and put him on her back, "Just hang on Lu," she said and he wrapped his arms around her neck. "We're saving Ace and no one is stopping us," she hissed.

Magellan glared and went after her as she ran. He was delivering blow after deadly blow and all she could do was dodge it or use some of her ability to fling the attack away momentarily, she was nearly touched many times but would ultimately dodge out of the way, by a hairs-length, Luffy also helping by using his legs to fling them elsewhere when she wasn't able to. Another attack came towards her and she forced the oncoming arm down with her ability to avoid it... but this caused the stone beneath her feet to crack and break apart and with a resounding crash, the whole structure started to fall apart, the bricks falling down towards the fire, along with Amethyst and Luffy.

She flicked her wrist and the piece of structure she was standing on flung her towards one of the lower walkways where they rolled across it, Luffy falling off her back and tumbling a bit away and her, skidding across the hot stone, skinning and burning her knees, shins and forearms, she fell face first now lying there, facing Luffy.

They were both panting, they were exhausted. Magellan jumped over to where they were. Luffy was now on his knees trying to find his second wind.

"Still not giving up?" Magellan asked, stalking closer to Luffy. Luffy was trying force himself up onto his feet, holding onto the ground so he wouldn't fall, he looked up at Magellan and snarled "We'll break Ace free and get out of here!"

Amethyst watched as he stood in a horse stance and her eyes widened in realisation as he pumped blood through his legs, now turning a pink colour, steam coming off of him. She tried to get up but her body wasn't co-operating. She shouted at him to stop but he ignored her.

"There's no way I'm going to die or let either of them die before we get to him! I won't let Ace be executed!" Luffy stated determinedly.

Magellan looked slightly taken-back by what was being presented in front of him. "What's with the steam?" he demanded.

Luffy stood up straight as he said "If I'm doomed to lose because you're poisonous and I can't touch you" he stared down at his hands for a moment, before he glared up at Magellan and declared, "Then I'd rather touch you and GIVE UP MY ARMS TO BEAT YOU!"

"LUFFY DON'T!" Amethyst screamed, trying so hard to just move her arms, but nothing moved, not even a budge.

Magellan held up a fist, dripping with poison and simply said, "If you don't want your arms, then I'll grant your wish and take them!"

Amethyst watched in horror as Luffy reared his arms backwards and screamed and attack, voice clouded with fear and desperation and threw his arms forward, landing a double fisted hit to his stomach. Magellan reeled over in pain, vomiting poison and blood but Luffy... Luffy's hands were coated in so much poison, his face contorted in pain and panting hard. He fell to his knees and screamed in pain, he fell on his face and started to writhe in agony as the poison ate away at his hands. Amethyst trying her hardest to get up but just... couldn't. Tears rolled down her face as she was forced to watch him hurt himself. "Luffy... please," she whispered, voice cracking.

Luffy pushed himself up as Magellan got onto his own feet, Magellan breathing hard and glaring down at Luffy. "To think that you could bring me to my knees? A wild animal is a frightening thing, indeed, when cornered. No matter... the poison covering your arms will be more than enough to kill you,"

Amethyst growled and got the attention of the Warden who smirked at her then focused his attention back to Luffy.

Poison kept dripping from Luffy's hands as Magellan continued on, "You're suffering now, aren't you? How shameful."

Luffy was panting, breathing had become harder, it had become a task in itself. But he wasn't going to let him win, the words that were thrown at him lit a fire in him and he staggered back to his feet. Screaming in outrage and hitting Magellan in the stomach again with another attack but only serving to further anger the poison-man, his body started to inflate slightly and then he started to spit out poisonous liquid bubbles from his mouth. Luffy jumped all over the place, dodging them one after the other as they kept raining down.

Luffy was breathing in the fumes, though, he hadn't physically come into contact with any of them and reeled his arm back just in time as Magellan directed a Hydra towards him and he succeeded in destroying it with his attack but poison splattering all over his body now. He managed to jump away from Magellan but stumbled.

A purple haze started to surround Luffy and Amethyst, coming from Magellan, Luffy jumped around, inflating into a balloon trying to do the same thing he did in Amazon Lily and blow the poisonous gas away, he did it successfully and fell back to the ground, but this time he wasn't able to get back up.

Amethyst felt herself getting angrier and angrier and her breathing became course and difficult to do, her body starting to shake, of its own volition. But she wasn't going to let that bastard kill him or her, she wasn't going to accept this. She pushed herself and finally felt her leg twitch.

Magellan had recalled the poison gas back, by breathing out once again. "I keep telling you it's hopeless!"

Luffy gasped out, struggling to breathe, his whole body shaking as he tried to get up, tried to get away.

"No matter how hard you struggle, there's no escape," Magellan told him "Your eye sight must be blurry, your hands must be totally useless by now," Magellan said mockingly, proud of what he's done.

Luffy couldn't hold himself up anymore and fell to the ground, face-first and laying on the stone floor, limp. Amethyst felt dread claw in her stomach as Magellan walked closer to him, stopping right in front of him and giving him a look of disgust before turning his head towards her now stalking towards her. But as he started, Luffy was already pushing himself back up, looking ready to fight again.

Magellan turned back around to the boy and sneered "You don't know when to quit, do you really want to save your brother that badly?"

Luffy started to bash his head against the stone floor, desperately trying to get his eye sight back, trying to clear his vision but then he managed to push himself up and charged at the Warden, eyes wild and dangerous. He aimed another attack at Magellan but missed completely, Magellan grabbing his stretched out arm, swinging it over his head, slamming him into the stone floor.

Magellan had lost all patience as he watched the boy get back up and started shouting at the boy, calling him a fool.

"Hey moron," Magellan whipped around at the voice and saw Amethyst standing there, the sight of her was horrifying as she was severely injured and bleeding "You forget about me?" she sneered and her eyes turned red, flicking her wrist and the Warden went flying into the air, she lurched forward vomiting blood, tears springing in her eyes.

She used the small amount of time to look at Luffy who was in a ready stance to attack, he looked disoriented, like he couldn't see her. She took a step forward and fell instantly. "Luffy! You have to run!" she shouted desperately. But it was too late, Magellan had come crashing back down, landing on his feet and looking enraged.

Magellan called forth the Hydra and prepared them to strike. Luffy seemed to have lost all common sense and leapt straight into the Hydra's mouth, Amethyst let out a guttural cry and clicked her fingers.

She appeared right next to Luffy as he desperately screamed.

"GIVE ACE... BAAAAAAAAAACCCKKK!"

And then they were swallowed.

They both dropped to the ground, limp and unseeing, mouths wide open and eyes wide open, they were both completely drenched in the poison, the excess puddling around them. They looked like they wanted to scream but couldn't, they felt pain, such excruciating pain, such paralyzing pain.

"This is your punishment," Magellan stated, voice cold. "After exposure to this much poison, no antidote will save you... You will suffer for 24 hours and then descend to the REAL hell."

"A...Am... A..Ace..." Luffy choked out, the poison oozing off of his body and dripping into his wide open mouth. Amethyst faring the same. She gasped before she was met with nothing but darkness.

* * *

It was dark, everything was so dark and painful, she couldn't fathom how it was so impossibly cold, she felt freezing, she remembered what had happened but couldn't believe it. She refused to believe she or Luffy were going to die, no matter how cold it was, no matter how agonisingly painful her whole body felt and no matter dark it was. She didn't want to die, after all this time she wanted to live, she wanted to save Ace and now she had to save herself and Luffy. She felt someone shaking her but she couldn't force her eyes open. She heard a voice shouting and she felt herself being moved but never budging and never moving, no matter how she swam through the darkness, nothing happened.

She felt like hours had gone by but she didn't know, maybe that was just a feeling.

She felt things shift and suddenly she was warmer, not too cold, not too hot, it was unsettling, she heard voices so many voices and then she was awake, gasping for air, pain radiated through her body and she looked around frantically, holding in the screams of agonising pain she wanted to let out, she felt her hands cuffed, the cold of it nipping at her wrists.

Was she dreaming? She didn't recognise this room, it was dark but it wasn't at all like a cell. She could blurrily see no one here but she could hear voices and yells, she was waiting for a familiar voice but nothing came. And then she came to a stop and heard the sound of screams, it echoed and bounced off the walls. She tried to roll on her side and tried to clear her vision, tried to block out the screams but everything was so cloudy and she fell into darkness again.

* * *

Ace was looking worse than ever before, he was close to losing his mind, Jimbei was looking anxiously at him, fearing that something was happening, something dangerous was happening inside Ace's mind.

"Ace, I don't know if what that woman said was true, but wouldn't it be better to assume she was lying?" Jimbei said suddenly, trying to ease the boy.

This, however, had the opposite effect and Ace was struggling against the chains, expression severe as he looked at the Fishman. "You think she came all the way down here just to lie to me!?" he yelled out.

The guards that were standing there looked at him, readying their weapons if he started to lash out in violence. Ace calmed down then, realising what he was doing as he vented his anger out at the wrong person. His face was still twisted with worry. "Sorry... Jimbei," he said, screwing his eyes up. "But that's just the kind of brother he is! He's always doing stupid things like that. Ever since we were kids, he's done things that made me worry about him! That idiot!" he said, face full of a mix of different emotions.

Then there was rage... he was filled with so much rage. He let out a scream of fury as he struggled against the shackles keeping him away from his brother. "Let me out!" Ace began banging his head on the wall, blood dripping from the wound he was causing himself. "Let me out of here! Let me go!"

Jimbei started shouting at Ace to stop but he wasn't listening, he was going nuts, the guards there had called a Minotaurus to deal with him. Ace glared darkly up at the cow creature as he was struck with a club, blood splattering. He finally hung limply from the chains, blood dripping down his neck and face. His desire to get out and find Luffy was so strong that he was losing his mind, his common sense was slipping.

"Make it easy for yourself, your execution is in another ten hours!" one of the guards shouted at him. Ace glared up at him defiantly, he knew that he could take them if only these chains weren't holding him back. And as the club came swinging down again he whispered, "Luffy..."

* * *

Pain.

So much pain.

Her body felt like it was boiling from the inside out.

A light.

She reached for the light but it was so far.

And then her finger dipped in it.

Her eyes flung open and she gasped for air. Frantically looking around as her eyes burned, Where was she? She felt her hands were still cuffed and she tried to use her ability and teleport out of there but was immediately met with nausea, she was surprised she could still move let alone struggle with how she over-exerted herself.

"You're awake finally"

Her head snapped to the voice and saw a rather large-headed cross dressing man.

"My name is Ivankov," He said. Amethyst looked around and realised she was strapped to a table, why was she strapped to a table? She started struggling against it, her eyes narrowing into slits, red licking the corners of them but then fading as blood started to drip from her face, pain shooting through her entire body.

"Now now, no need for that, I merely want to help you as I did Straw-Hat-boy," Ivankov said, trying to simmer down the glaring girl.

Amethyst jerked when she heard the name, she knew that he was talking about Luffy and her eyes narrowed even further, what had he done to him? "Where is he?" she demanded.

"He's going through his treatment to fight the poison," he said there was an underlying tone of grimness in his voice. Amethyst struggled again, she was feeling unnerved, what was with that expression? And then she heard it. Her senses intensifying. He was screaming, there was so much screaming, how had she not noticed before but she did, she vaguely remembered waking up and hearing screaming, it was him. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" she roared.

"Now, let me explain to you before you rile yourself up even more. I have the abilities of a Devil Fruit that allow me to manipulate and control hormones that can affect one's body. Straw-Hat-boy is going through my treatment now. I have injected some of my special hormones into him. By injecting these hormones I have released his body's immune system to the highest potential," he said all very professionally, despite his unique way of speaking.

Amethyst relaxed as she took in the words and the presence of the person, she now recognised who they were, Ivankov of the Revolutionary Army. "So... he will be okay?" she choked out, throat raw with physical and emotional pain.

"Well, that all depends on Straw-hat-boy," he said, voice now grim again, "You see, the hormones only unleash the _potential_ of the immune system, the chance of survival is mostly based on Straw-hat-boys own will to live," Ivankov replied voice full of sadness and pity.

Amethyst, however, relaxed and sighed in relief. "That's great, thank you for helping him," she said calmly.

Ivankov was startled and somewhat angry "Did you not hear what I said?!" he exclaimed. His voice was full of surprise and a tinge of disappointment.

Amethyst cracked a small smile, confusing the cross-dresser even further. "Trust me, if I know anything about Luffy, it's that he has the will and the determination of a monster and we haven't reached our goal yet. There's no way on this earth or in hell that he won't make it through, that I give you my word," she responded, full of trust and confidence.

Ivankov stared at the girl, shocked beyond words, the trust and vindication in her voice and her eyes were enough to make one have even a sliver of hope, even in a situation as dire and leaving little to no room for success, as this one. Amethyst then grinned "I'd be more surprised if he didn't make it"

Ivankov seemed to snap out of it "Well, as for you, I must be given permission to do the same treatment but I must warn you there's a price... ten years of your life!"

Amethyst froze. "Are you telling me... THAT MORON GAVE AWAY TEN YEARS OF HIS LIFE?!" she shouted in rage. She felt her chest clench painfully and forced herself to calm down, she knew if there was no other choice that, that was the reason for it all. That was the reasoning for all of it, it must've been because it was the last option. "Sorry... and to answer your question... No, you don't have my permission"

"It's either the treatment or death," Ivankov explained trying to convince the girl of the consequences.

Amethyst shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You've been talking to me for the past few minutes, does it seem like I'm on the brink of death?"

Ivankov stared at the girl longer, analysing her body, her attitude, her voice and realised that she was right. The girl seemed fine, her wounds had healed dramatically and she was still obviously weak and in pain, in all honesty Amethyst was surprised herself, she would usually feel a lot worse than this. But she seemed fine, a huge contrast to that of the screaming boy in the other room. "But it's not possible, you went through the same as Straw-hat-boy if not even more so than him, we watched you both succumb to the same fate, so how?" she questioned in disbelief.

Amethyst felt her eye twitch in irritation but then calm down "I'm going to ignore the fact that you just admitted to watching us and not doing anything about it," she sneered, "But I'm different, I have an extent of toleration to poisons and I heal on my own faster than the normal human body, unfortunately not that fast for my liking but I'll be fine. I just need to clean all this shit off and eat something so I would appreciate being unlocked"

Ivankov felt his interest in the girl peak, he was already initially interested as he watched her run through Impel Down but seeing her in person only reinforced that interest. "Very well," he said finally and unlocked the cuffs, letting the girl fall to her feet.

Amethyst faltered and fell on all fours then glared at the ground, she pushed herself off the ground and stood up, forcing her legs to cooperate. She watched Ivankov open the door to the room she was in and followed her out slowly as she was led to a bathroom, sighing as she imagined just cleaning herself up. "Thank you," she said as Ivankov started to leave. He turned and grinned. "I wouldn't have helped had I not thought you worthy of it," he replied before leaving.

Amethyst got cleaned and put on some fresh clothes that they thankfully had. 'I guess it's a good thing that they're cross-dressers' she thought as she walked out of the bathroom, looking around for a little bit, she could tell that they were still in the prison, but where? She heard of Ivankov being imprisoned but this didn't seem ordinary, not that he was ordinary.

She snapped out of her interest and went back to looking for Luffy, she needed to see him, she couldn't hear his screams anymore and she didn't know if that was a bad thing or a good thing.

She walked towards the chatter of people and saw Bon Clay standing there in front of a door that she assumed Luffy must be in, he was surrounded by a few cross-dresser's and Ivankov standing out like a really big sore thumb. She walked towards them and sat down a bit behind the crowd, so she could wait and also rest her aching body.

"What's happening?" she questioned. No one looked at her or gave her a glance, she then noticed the looks on their faces, full of worry, anxiety and anticipation.

The silence stretched on.

Then suddenly a dark pool of liquid slipped underneath the door, It was dark like a pool of tar with just a tint of red, Amethyst tensed up. No matter how much she knew and trusted Luffy would make it, that was not something that evoked hope. She heard people start to freak out a bit and could already see some faces signing his death certificate and she growled. "Don't go killing him off like that," she sneered. They finally turned their attention to her, some having shock, fear and even anger.

BANG!

The door shook so hard that it seemed like the hinges would come flying out.

Amethyst smiled and gave the bystanders a look of 'I-told-you-so'. "Seems like Luffy is up... I must warn you, he'll probably be hungry," she said, full of amusement and happiness that he was alright, even though she knew he would be eventually.

"FOOOOOOOOOOOD!"

And just like that she felt a whole lot better, she didn't doubt that Luffy would pull through but she was also glad just to hear his voice not screaming in agony. They opened the door quickly and Luffy looked stick thin like his muscle and fat had completely disintegrated only leaving skin and bone.

"FOOOOOOOOOD!" he shouted again and everyone started to rush around frantically to get the boy some food.

The whole thing went by quite quickly, Luffy eating like a complete monster and nearly swallowing the whole supply of food, it was all very normal-ish and Amethyst felt herself smiling just watching the whole thing. After he had his fill of food, he looked quite disturbing, as if the strange figure wasn't really him. His entire torso was bulging and huge, it was like nothing she'd ever seen before, he was too big to even fit through the door and yet his legs, arms and everything above the torso seemed bone thin.

"Looking pretty scary their Lu," she remarked.

She watched as he was still panting, grunting in pain as he suddenly absorbed the fat in his stomach. And as if his shrivelled limbs sucked it up, he shrank and the fat turned into muscle, spreading to his limbs and the rest of his body so when he finally stepped out, he looked strong and healthy again. He punched the air and screamed.

"I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

Amethyst laughed out loud, she never felt so relieved in her life to hear that moron and hearing the remarks of all the people there saying he must've been some monster, it was all quite amusing despite the situation they were in. Then she was flung back into the floor and amusement seemed to fly out the door.

"Dammit Lu!" she hissed, feeling her already pounding headache only worsen as the rubber boy smothered her into the ground.

"Am! I'm so glad you're okay! Did you give up ten years as well?" he asked, cocking his head to the side like a puppy. She flicked him in the head and sat up, the boy sliding off of her and now sitting half on the floor, his legs still on her lap.

"No, I didn't need to and you better believe when I tell Ace that you gave up ten years of your life, he's going to pummel you," she said, a smirk on her face.

"I can take him!" Luffy boasted confidently.

"Unbelievable!"

"HE ABSORBED ALL THAT ENERGY!"

"He's not human!"

"He beat the poison in only 20 hours!"

Wait.

What?

"TWENTY HOURS?!" Amethyst shouted, now getting the attention of Luffy who also was shocked at the amount of time.

"A miracle... This is more than a miracle!" Ivankov said, ignoring the shout of indignation.

"Thank god!" Bon Clay shouted in utter relief.

Luffy heard the voice and snapped his head towards the person and spotted Bon Clay standing there. Bon Clay was heavily bandaged but very much alive and well.

"Oh, Bon Clay! You're okay!" He cried as if he wasn't the one who just nearly died.

"Stupid! Quit joking around, I'm the one who should be..." before he could finish his sentence he toppled to the ground in a heap, his eyes rolling back. He was out cold.

Luffy jumped away from Amethyst and to Bon Clay in an instant. "Hey, Bon Clay! You okay? Hang in there! What's wrong?" he questioned anxiously as he received no response.

Ivankov stepped forward then and made his presence known, speaking, "He's just over-exerted himself, nothing to do with Bon-boy's injuries"

"Oh, Hey Iva!" Luffy said casually to Ivankov once he spotted him standing there.

Amethyst suppressed a laugh as she watched the other cross-dresser's act offended by the boy addressing their leader so casually.

"We survived, Thank you so much for everything you've done for us!" Luffy said gratefully, his signature grin on his face.

Ivankov proceeded to reject the thanks and inform Luffy that while he was locked up and going through the torturous treatment that it was Bon Clay who had been there with him, cheering him on from the outside. He admitted that Bon Clay was the one who had been there, shouting and rooting for him for hours until he was coughing up blood and could barely let out coherent words, sharing the pain and constantly crying for Luffy to hang in there and to live. He inspired the other people there with his action, causing them to cheer with him and hope for a miracle to happen.

Luffy's eyes were wide with amazement at the information. "I see," he said, looking down at Bon Clay and bowing his head to him, gratefully. "Bon Clay," he said, tone serious. "Thank you so much, I owe you one!"

Amethyst grinned. "I wish I could heal him but my more intense abilities aren't available at the moment," she said gratefully.

Another man came in then, holding Luffy's hat and a yellow shirt. "Here are your hat and some new clothes, you've survived, but that's all. You must rest for a few more days to make a full recovery," the man informed.

Luffy got up on his feet "We don't have time for that! We've already wasted too much time already!" he said as he put his clothes and hat on. "Sorry, but can you guys look after Bon Clay? I'll come back for him later an..." he suddenly stumbled, cutting himself off as he fell to the floor.

Amethyst shot up and went to rush to Luffy when she stumbled and fell on all fours, cursing under her breath, her body had repaired itself quickly considering less than a day of 'rest' but she still was very weak.

"You also need to rest, you may not have had to go through the treatment but I'd say you're in no condition to do anything as much as your brother here," the man who she recognised as Inazuma of the Revolutionary Army, said.

She heard everyone start to try and convince her and him to listen to reason and not do anything rash but they both ignored them. Amethyst watched as Luffy pulled out Ace's Vivre card and they both stared at it, it was the same as the last time they looked at it but it was still pointing downwards which means they hadn't moved Ace yet, they still had a chance.

"We have no time for that, Ace's Vivre card is still pointing down which means we can still get to him... but where are we exactly?" Amethyst inquired.

Ivankov explained how there are actually six levels and they were in between the fifth and the sixth, So they were in Level 5.5.

"Now that you both have recovered from death, I suppose that you both don't care about anything but saving your brother, right? It's none of my business what you both do with your lives," Ivankov said.

Amethyst wanted to laugh at the fact that Magellan and Ivankov both assumed that Ace was her brother as well. She looked nothing like him or Luffy, her eyes are a pale lilac and blue and her hair was blonde plus her skin colour was different, the only 'resemblance' were her freckles. But she didn't have enough care to correct them.

"Iva! Mind telling us where Ace is then? I think Bon Clay mentioned something about saving your ass y'know," Luffy said unintentionally rudely.

Ivankov started explaining their reason for staying, how he understood the balance of power in the world especially now with the Marines and Whitebeard Pirates trying to shift the way of the world in their favour and proudly stating that his comrade Dragon had yet to make his move and because of that, they hadn't made a move to escape as the time wasn't right.

Amethyst recognised the name 'Dragon' he was the most dangerous criminal in the world, she quite admired what he was doing.

"Oh," Luffy said casually, "You mean my dad?"

"That's right," Ivankov replied "As soon as your dad rallies his troops and makes his move, I will once again return to the surface and throw myself into the flow of the world. Even if I tried to escape now I would merely end up being hunted down," suddenly he paused, blinking a few times and slowly registering what the boy had just said. "Your d-d-d-DAD!?" he shrieked out, jumping back and crashing into the wall behind him, leaving an indent. "DRAGON IS?" he questioned, shocked as he slid down the wall and then falling face first into the ground.

Everyone stood still, looking at Luffy as if he had just said the most absurd thing in the world, though hearing it, it sure did sound like it. They were also looking at Amethyst with the same expression seeing as they _were_ siblings. Luffy just looked around wondering what the big deal was.

Amethyst was the first to snap out of it and just burst into laughter at how blunt and oblivious he was.

"Y-Y-YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! HE HAS KIDS!?" Ivankov exclaimed, eyes bulging out in shock and disbelief.

"Lu, I don't think that's information you were supposed to tell people," Amethyst said amused.

Luffy stood up "Well, whatever. Gramps told me ... I don't really know him myself. To be honest I don't even know what he looks like," Luffy said casually.

Ivankov's jaw fell open as he stared at the boy "Where's your hometown?" he asked.

"The East Blue," Luffy answered. Ivankov gasped as if that detail held so much proof to his claim.

"Not that this isn't amusing but we really need to get to Ace so you helping or not?" Amethyst questioned now pushing herself off of the floor and standing up.

"Inazuma! Go and find out when Ace-boy is being taken to his execution!" Ivankov ordered.

"Yes, sir," Inazuma obeyed.

Ivankov stepped forward, voice full of seriousness and determination "It'll be a race against time! If the Vivre Card is still pointing downwards, then that means that he wasn't taken away yet! I am going down to Level 6 alongside Straw-Hat-boy and Amethyst, here!"

"Thanks, but Level 6? I thought Ace was in Level 5" Amethyst questioned but then shook it off, there was no time to question "Well, whatever"

"We're counting on you Iva!" Luffy shouted then leaning down to Bon Clay and promising to come back and get him.

Ivankov suddenly pressed his face against Luffy's and said to him very seriously, "In the future, you must not let slip such information about your origins, for the safety of you and your siblings"

"Big head is right Lu, that's not information that should be out there," Amethyst said pulling him away from Ivankov who started to take offence to the name.

Luffy nodded seeming to understand and agree by saying they were probably right.

"I might be acting of my own accord! But I have a duty to support you both! I will not let a friends children die while I'm around to see it!" Ivankov declared.

Ivankov then turned to the other people in the room and informed them of the plan. They protested a bit, fear in their voices as they did so but Ivankov stamped his foot and encouraged them saying a small inspirational speech that soon got them to turn their fear into excitement and determination.

Amethyst almost snickered as she realised that Ivankov thought Ace and her were Dragon's kids as well, but if he was going to help because of the fact, she wasn't going to burst his bubble.

"Right!" Luffy exclaimed "Wait for me Ace! We'll be right there..." and then slumped over and collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

Ivankov looked down at him and felt his pulse, tears pricking in his eyes as he gasped. Everyone in the room felt dread in their stomachs.

"His pulse, it's..." Ivankov gasped again. "IS STILL THERE!"

Amethyst growled and grabbed the man by the hair, pulling him down to look at her "Do that again and I'll set your hair on fire," she hissed, letting him go and ignoring the protests from his followers. "I knew this was too good to be true, he's obviously exhausted from the treatment, can you help him somehow?" she questioned.

Ivankov then suddenly turned his hands into syringes and stabbed them into Luffy's side, lifting him up a bit. Luffy yelled in pain before being dropped and he fell to his feet then falling on all fours, his body now shaking uncontrollably.

Amethyst glared at him, she felt her stomach drop thinking that he had just lost another ten years.

"That was only adrenaline, he'll be able to forget his fatigue for one day!" Ivankov explained and Amethyst felt herself relax a bit.

"I can do the same for you," Ivankov said, looking at the girl.

Amethyst shook her head. "No, it won't work properly. Medicines and anything like that much like poison and anything that can chemically affect my body doesn't work the way it should because my body naturally fights it off itself at a very abnormal and fast rate. My body or more so myself, in general, are very complex, I still don't fully understand it." she explained and Ivankov nodded in somewhat understanding.

Luffy suddenly reared his head back and let out a roar that sounded like a wild animal and Amethyst laughed a bit knowing the adrenaline kicked in. "Calm down Lu, no need for the dramatics, Let's go!".

* * *

Amethyst, Luffy, Ivankov and Inazuma were sprinting through a winter wasteland that happened to be Level 5. Luffy was letting out battle cries as he was still riding out the adrenaline high, he and Amethyst were a little further ahead than the other two who were trying to keep up.

Luffy started to run circles around them, flailing around uncontrollably. "OH WOW! I'M BURSTING WITH ENERGY!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Amethyst rolled her eyes "Lu, seriously be quieter, your voice might make my brain explode and I'll die before we even get to Ace and would you stop running circles, you moron"

Luffy suddenly stopped and started running beside her normally.

"Let us hurry! Even the slightest delay could change the outcomes of our actions!" Inazuma shouted.

"No one is watching us here, transponder snails can't survive in the cold, so long as we don't waste time sneaking around, we'll get there very fast! Keep moving as fast as you can!" Ivankov exclaimed.

Suddenly a pack of wolves came out of nowhere, looking hungry and vicious.

"MOVE IT!" Luffy yelled loudly, throwing punches and kicks, taking them all out fairly easily, "DON'T GET IN OUR WAY!"

Amethyst cursed as she still didn't want to use her abilities, the last time she was like this she had slept for three days and still was far from fine after it but now she put herself in worse condition than that, she used her ability a lot more and is now still over-exerting herself, she knew it was a not very ideal situation, but she had felt a lot better considering the long yet short amount of time that she was passed out, it made no sense how she could even move but she wasn't going to queston it. She was thankful that the other two were holding their own with Luffy, making it seem as if it were merely a chore, Inazuma kicked one wolf away as if it were a ball and Ivankov just winked at them and created a blast that sent the wolves flying. Impressive.

They kept running until they spotted a large doorway, knowing that was the way to get to Level 6. Inazuma who had gotten there first was ordered by Ivankov to hurry and open it. Inazuma worked at the lock quickly and as the rest of them got there he had already gotten it open and forced the frozen hinges to move.

"There must be surveillance cameras past this point," Inazuma yelled as they ran ahead, leading to a set of stairs that led further down.

"If they're gonna come for us let them come!" Luffy shouted as he ran.

"Luffy we should be hoping for no disturbances not more!" Amethyst exclaimed, running next to him.

They continued to run down the stairs, leaving the cold behind them as they started to get warmer the further they ran down, Amethyst internally hoping they'd make it whilst Luffy externally voiced his hopes as they ran further towards Level 6.

They heard a shout and saw a crowd of guards running up towards them looking ready for a fight but much like the wolves before, Luffy kicked out his foot and took them all down in one go as the four of them charged forward as if nothing had happened. Luffy was chanting Ace's name over and over again, his desire to see his brother growing with every step.

More guards kept flooding in as they got deeper but much like the first amount of guards, they didn't last long. More guards came, succumbing to the same fate but then booby traps were set off and they had to keep dodging them from left to right, up and down but they didn't stop for a second, ready to keep running like their lives depended on it.

"What an annoying trap," Ivankov remarked, sounding quite bored.

"You're telling me, this is the second time this has happened and it's still as annoying as the first time except more predictable this time around," Amethyst said with an expression of irritation.

Amethyst and Luffy kept running even as Inazuma and Ivankov had stopped to fight off the rest of the guards that came.

They were frantic and sprinting as fast as they could, Amethyst trailing only a step behind, they ran down the spiral staircase at long last arriving at Level 6. They were looking around frantically, now calling his name. Eyes wildly darting here and there but not seeing any sign of him.

Ivankov and Inazuma then came running in a minute later, Ivankov having a guard sprawled over one of his shoulders. They started to make comments but were left unheard by the frantic two.

"Where are you Ace?! We're here to save you! ACE!"

Ivankov scolded him slightly and then held up the guard that was on his shoulder by the scruff of his neck. "Would you be so kind as to tell us, the place where he's kept?" he asked politely.

"NEVER!" the guard shot back stubbornly.

"Oh, what a dilemma," Ivankov sighed dramatically as he dropped the guard to the floor like a sack of potatoes, "You have to be more honest with yourself," he went on, a twisted smile marring his face.

The guard started to freak out in fear when Ivankov stabbed the guard with his fingers as they turned into needles. The guard let out a cry of pain and shock, his body started to thrash and convulse then all of a sudden his body started to change, skin becoming smoother, features becoming more delicate... softer, his body became more slender.

"Did you just turn him into a girl?" Amethyst asked in shock. Gaping at the now female guard on the floor. Luffy looking the same.

"So, how does it feel to have awoken your true self?" Ivankov asked as he pulled out a small mirror so that the shemale could see.

The guard seemed to be confused at first then actually came to like it, even going as far to thank Ivankov who brushed it off and asked for directions to Ace's cell. The guard then happily pointed to where it was and they were off, bolting in that direction, passing all the inmates and dark shadows and they finally reached it.

"He's not here!" Luffy shouted, glaring at the guard.

Amethyst walked towards the guard and grabbed them by the scruff of their neck. "What the hell are you playing at? Where is he!?"

"Th-there's no doubt! I wouldn't do such a thing as lie!" the guard answered, now crying.

Amethyst let her go roughly, turning back to the others "We must've missed him," she said.

"It seems we were a step behind!" Inazuma stated.

They all looked at the empty cell and saw Jimbei there, he was staring at the ground grimly. He looked up and caught a glimpse of Luffy, recognising who he must be and staring in shock. Luffy looked at him, noticing the stare. Jimbei then glanced at the people and noticed Amethyst, look the same as when he saw Luffy.

"Hey! are you called Straw-Hat Luffy?" Jimbei called out.

"Yeah," Luffy answered.

"They've just taken him!" he shouted, his eyes staring down the hallway "Chase after them! Ace was being escorted to the lift! GO! You can still make it if you hurry!"

Luffy stared at him hard "Who're you?" he questioned, not knowing whether he should believe some stranger.

"It doesn't matter! Just go! There's still time!"

Luffy stared a little longer, but then nodded in understanding "Right! I got it! Thanks whoever you are!" he shouted as he turned and ran, Inazuma and Ivankov right behind. Amethyst went to follow but was stopped. "WAIT!" Jimbei shouted and she turned around.

"What!?" she questioned impatiently.

"You're Amethyst, are you not?" he asked curiously.

She cocked a brow at him "Yeah, how do you know?"

"Ace, he talked about you, I could tell by your eyes," Jimbei replied solemnly.

She tensed a little at that but then gave no response, turning and running to catch up with the others. She ran as fast as she could and saw them a little way ahead and she caught sight of an elevator lift.

"They must've used this to reach the upper floors! Let's go! They've left the gates open for the lift!" Inazuma shouted.

Ivankov went to the controls and desperately tried to turn the crank but it wouldn't budge. "The mechanisms are lost! it's no use!" he cried out.

Luffy looked inside the elevator, seeing the big chain and thinking that he could probably climb up it and he would get there when suddenly he was jerked away from it by Amethyst and just as soon a huge stone filled with spikes came crashing down.

"LU! You have to look out, they're watching our every move," Amethyst said, indicating to the transponder snail watching them.

They were all frustrated but there was no time, so all four of them bolted for the stairs behind them and for a split second, they thought they were going to make it when a large cage came falling down, blocking the stairs off.

"Hey! They blocked the stairs too!" Luffy shouted.

Amethyst felt something off, she sniffed the air and her eyes widened, she saw Luffy about to attack the cage but she pulled him away. "DON'T! Move away from it, I can smell something" she exclaimed and just at that moment a hissing sound was heard and a cloud of gas started to come through the bars of the cage.

"I knew it, it's sleeping gas, I know you'll say you don't care Lu but if you inhale it, you'll be out cold and we'll waste more time," Amethyst remarked, now pulling Luffy behind her as he tried to barge through it anyway.

"How did you know?" Ivankov asked curiously, he saw something flash in the girl's eyes but then it disappeared just as quickly.

"Experience".

* * *

Ace was a mess, both emotionally and physically. He had thick chains around his wrists. He was now out of the elevator, at the start of the corridor that led to the front doors of this godforsaken prison that held his little brother.

Many guards were there, armed and Magellan was also there, looking at a Transponder Snail with great satisfaction and slight boredom. "Hmph," Magellan said as he hung up the Transponder snail and looked over at Ace who was glaring at them all menacingly. "How unfortunate for you," he said, "I've been informed that Straw-Hat arrived on Level 6 no longer after we left."

Ace turned to stare at him, eyes filled with horror.

"Your sister happens to also be accompanying him, she was quite the high-spirited one," Magellan said mockingly.

Ace now gave a look of confusion and anger. "What are you talking about?"

Magellan scoffed "Don't act so oblivious" not believing his confusion at all.

"The Emergency Sleeping Gas was released several minutes ago, Straw-Hat's capture is only a matter of time now, it seems the freezing hell wasn't enough for either of them. Fortunately, your cell is now available and we can inflict our ultimate torture on him down in Level 6 and as for your sister, well I guess we'll just throw her back to her rightful place," Magellan informed calmly as he turned back to the corridor.

Ace ignored the confusion that he was feeling and felt himself becoming oddly calm like all his emotions had snapped and now he was in a state of shock that felt calm. He stood unmovingly and turned to stare long and hard at the elevator lift behind him.

"Luffy..." he said softly.

"Keep walking! Don't stop!" One of the jailers snapped.

Ace slowly turned away from the elevator lift and started walking forward, eyes closed and expression blank. But then suddenly he spun around and kicked out at the guards, knocking them back and bolted for the lift. A guard went to impale him with his trident but Ace dodged it and grabbed one of the forks with his teeth, spinning around to get the guard to let go and then he had it in his hands. He spun it expertly in his hands and began to take on everyone that was there as they ran and tried to subdue him, he was able to stand up to them even if he was shackled and weak. He was still strong.

Magellan then stepped forward, angry and grabbed ahold of the trident, stopping Ace as he tried to pull the weapon free but Magellan wrenched it out of his hands before he flung it elsewhere. Ace looked at him and backed up then whipped around and made a sprint for the elevator lift, ready to fling himself down it to attempt to get to his little brother. Magellan had enough, he was aggravated with the family members and reached forward, roughly pinning Ace down to the ground with nothing but his sheer size and weight to hold him there.

"Stop this futile resistance!" Magellan shouted at him.

Ace had lost control of his emotions then, eyes wild and unrestrained as he saw the lift doors close

"LUFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYY!".

* * *

"You really could've done that before the moron rushed forward and nearly knocked himself out," Amethyst remarked as she watched Inazuma finish his handy work and manipulate the stone floor by cutting them into sheets to cover up the staircase and keep the gas locked in.

Amethyst finally let go of Luffy who tried to rush forward again, thinking he could still fight through the gas. He started to yell at Inazuma for blocking the staircase and at Amethyst for stopping him.

"Sealing the staircase was the only way to stop the gas. It'd be impossible to rescue him if you're passed out," Inazuma replied.

Luffy went to argue again but Amethyst snapped at him. "LUFFY! if we're going to save Ace, we have no use for you if you're going to be knocked out! You can't do shit if you can't even move! So stop arguing because it's pointless!" she yelled, punching him in the head.

Luffy seemed to silence himself, rubbing his head but still seemed riled up.

"The enemy's plan was simple, but we fell for it. Now we're stuck here in Level 6. In this situation, there's no way for us to escape." Inazuma said calmly.

Ivankov winked at the Transponder Snail, now cutting off their connection. He looked around grimly. He spoke saying that no matter what they did, they wouldn't make it to Ace on time.

Amethyst hands were tightly clenched into fists, she closed her eyes and her eyes to turned red and she clicked to try and teleport but just as she did she felt the wound on her stomach that had almost healed rip open and she gasped, eyes shooting open, red disappearing. She clutched her stomach and tears appeared in her eyes.

"Am! Are you okay?" Luffy questioned worriedly.

She nodded, paying no mind to the stares of worry. Ivankov then started to question Luffy about Ace's Vivre Card and which direction it was pointing.

"He's probably being handed over to the Navy as we speak!" Ivankov informed him as Luffy stared at the piece of paper in his hand. "Right now we need to change our attitude! I will do everything in my power to help you both escape this prison safely. Ace-boy will most certainly be handed over to Marine Headquarters... you'll just have to give up on saving him. In fact..." he didn't finish as Amethyst growled at him.

"Don't you fucking dare even suggest that we not save Ace! I'm going to Marine Headquarters with or without you people," she said.

"I'm going as well," Luffy stated as he curled his hand around the piece of paper.

"What?" Ivankov questioned as if not hearing them properly.

"We're both going to Marineford!" Luffy said loudly, a look of seriousness and untamed determination in his eyes.

Ivankov stared at them before bellowing at them "ARE YOU TWO STUPID!? This is a battle between the world's greatest powers! What can you both do there? Do you even realise Whitebeards true strength!? Do you realise the true strength of the Navy Admirals or the Vice Admirals and Warlords!? Did you both forget that you both almost lost your lives fighting against Magellan? How many lives do you think you both have to spare?!" Ivankov shouted.

"You think we don't know that?!" Amethyst sneered, silencing the man "We're already fucking aware of that!"

"If I give up now, then I'll regret it forever!" Luffy shouted, true force behind his words.

Ivankov took a sharp intake of breath, stepping backwards, away from Luffy. It was as if he was seeing some kind of ghost. She stared at his face and glanced back to the girl and seemed to be convinced that maybe all this could be done after all.

Inazuma stepped in. "Before all that, we can't even escape this floor," he said calmly.

Right then a grisly laugh was heard from a cell behind them. "If you wanna escape from here, then set me free! I can make a hole in the ceiling! What do you say, Straw Hat?"

They all turned and Luffy looked at the cell in confusion but then his eyes widened in realisation as the man stepped forward so that he could see him. His eyes turned angry as he continued to stare at the man, now glaring. "YOU!? You're a prisoner here? Crocodile!?"

Crocodile laughed "Long time no see Straw Hat!"

Amethyst narrowed her eyes at the man, she didn't like him already. "Who the fuck is this guy? Another one of your buddies Lu?"

"No way!" Luffy rejected immediately.

"I'd been thinking even if I were on the outside, there'd be nothing going on the outside, there'd be nothing going on to interest me but now that I hear the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy are going to war? I'd thought I'd get a chance to take the old man's head! I'm interested in this war. With my powers, we can escape from here. It's not a bad idea, is it? We both have something to gain from it" he said smiling all the way through.

"Get real! You're the one who messed up Vivi's country!" Luffy barked at Crocodile.

"That's all in the past, I, no longer have any interest in that country," Crocodile responded bored.

Luffy seemed to be contemplating it, he didn't know if he should because what's stopping him from attacking them once he got out.

"Luffy... we should release him..." Amethyst said suddenly.

Luffy looked at her shocked "But Am! He said he's going to attack the old man isn't that your father? And he..." he didn't finish as Amethyst cut him off.

"I know Luffy, but he's our best bet out of here and don't mind him, I won't let him touch Pops... over my cold dead body," she scoffed.

"Yes, Straw-Hat-boy, he would make a great ally, if you're going to Marine headquarters then you'll need him more," Ivankov said.

Amethyst watched as Crocodiles smug face dissipated instantly and he glared at Ivankov, growling as he said her name.

"Long time, no see, Croc Boy?" Ivankov said, sounding pleased to see him.

Luffy questioned whether the two knew each other, which Ivankov confirmed and reassured him that he knew how to keep the guy under control because he knew of his weakness and surprisingly Crocodile lost his cool a bit, trying to keep Ivankov from saying too much 'unnecessary' information.

"As long as you're a good boy and help us, then I won't say a word," Ivankov said, smiling smugly and laughing.

"Ha, you're basically his bitch and you think you're worthy enough to take on Pops," Amethyst remarked, earning a glare from Crocodile who cursed them both.

The inmates started yelling for them to be freed as well causing Ivankov to get angry and lash out.

"I beg of you! Please take me with you! I've known Ace ever since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates! He's told me everything about you, his little brother! I'm here because I opposed this war! I want to save Ace! Please let me choose my place of death!" Jimbei shouted suddenly, over the other voices.

Luffy then turned his attention to Jimbei and stared at him again, long and hard and Amethyst was reminded of the day she showed up on his ship, he was analysing him, looking deep into his core to see what type of a person he was.

"Sure," Luffy said finally.

"Hey! Is that really okay? We know nothing of this guys personality or how dangerous he is!" Inazuma exclaimed.

"It's fine, if Luffy thinks it's okay, then it is. Let him out," Amethyst said resolutely.

Jimbei nodded his head and voiced how grateful he was. The other prisoners then started to voice how they would be just as grateful and begged to be let out as well to which Ivankov lashed out and 'Death Wink' attacked them again, sending them flying to the back of their cells. Amethyst quite appreciated his methods.

Inazuma then started to work on Jimbei's lock, getting in successfully and cutting his shackles. He then went and did the same for Crocodile.

Now they had two strong Allies.

* * *

They went back to gather the New Kama's as they were called and Bon Clay, Crocodile also getting dressed out of his prison uniform. They went running up a flight of stairs from Level 5.5 along with the now bigger group of people. They went through a door and the first thing they were met with was the shock of cold air as they emerged into Level 5.

Luffy and Amethyst were now waiting _im_ patiently for Ivankov and the last group of New Kama to come up. As they did, Ivankov then gathered everyone's attention and started to explain the plan that he set out. Luffy let out a deeply frustrated cry and grabbed Amethysts wrist running off, no longer bothering to wait, followed closely behind by Jimbei and Crocodile who seemed to agree with the notion.

It didn't take them long to find the right doorways that would lead them up to Level 4 and they were racing up as fast as they could, the trip upwards a lot longer than the trip downwards. Luffy and Amethyst were leading the way up the stairs and Crocodile and Jimbei were hot on their heels, one of them gliding upwards on a small whirlwind of sand.

"It's 10:00 in the morning right now, the execution is at three this afternoon, they're certain to carry out the execution at that exact moment, If Whitebeard intends to stop them, he should attack several hours before then! Ace is already being taken across the sea! The battle could break out at any moment!" Jimbei huffed suddenly.

Luffy who was listening intently then spoke up "But they won't kill him before three right? Then we still have a chance!" he said.

Crocodile grunted in distaste. He was now ahead of the two that were in conversation and now running beside Amethyst who was too focused to care about his close proximity at this point.

Crocodile held out his hand, complaining about the doors, and with a horrible sucking sound, his hand began to suck the moisture out of the door, it started to corrode and disintegrated into sand. It crumbled and broke away so that only metal rings remained. They were back on one of the walkways in Level 4 and felt the surge of heat, a complete contrast to that of the Level below.

Standing in front of them on the walkway, however, was a large group of people waiting for them. Guards and Jailers all armed with weapons, pitchforks and rifles, ready to stop them.

One of the guards started to report to someone about their appearance and the extra people who happened to also appear that weren't with Luffy and Amethyst before.

Crocodile, Jimbei and Luffy started to mumble things of no importance as they didn't feel so threatened as to where they would talk or discuss the fact that there were people blocking their way.

Amethyst was irritated, even if she couldn't teleport as of yet, she could still use her easier, less complex abilities and she was sick of being delayed. Her eyes turned white and she made one flick of the wrist and all the people blocking their way were flung over the sides of the walkway and to their death. She nodded, satisfied as she felt no after effect.

"That was quite something," Jimbei remarked as he looked at the girl in shock.

"Yeah well, just giving Croc over there a tiny demonstration of what he can look forward to," she responded, glaring at Crocodile who turned away, a scowl on his face. he looked and saw a set of keys to which he picked up. More guards started to flood in.

Suddenly they heard loud roars behind them and they looked to see that their own reinforcements had finally arrived. Ivankov, Inazuma, Bon Clay and the New Kamas charging forward, each one of them armed and all dressed to kill.

"We finally made it!" Ivankov shouted happily.

"Straw Hat!" Bon Clay shouted energetically as he spun around so fast that he looked like a complete blur.

"Bon Clay!? You've got an adrenaline boost too, huh?" Luffy yelled.

"It's UNSTOPPABLE!" Bon Clay cheered as he twirled around happily and just then Crocodile reappeared from wherever he had unnoticeably disappeared to but this time with another prisoner, he was tall and muscular with long and lean limbs, his hair shaved off and a giant scar on his right eye.

"WAAAAH! WHY ARE YOU HERE MR.1!?" Bon Clay cried, leaping forward.

"Bon, who's that?" Amethyst questioned, Luffy also feeling the same.

"He's the guy who was beaten by that waistband guy back in Alabasta!" Bon Clay replied, a smile on his face that almost looked malevolent.

Luffy just nodded taking it as someone he doesn't know.

"I'm not attacking anymore," Amethyst said suddenly, gaining the attention of a few people. "I have a feeling we're going to run into the Warden at some point and I want to greet him properly this time," she said, smiling sinisterly.

Luffy nodded, agreeing with the statement. The other people who heard it and saw the look on her face felt unnerved.

As they kept running, Crocodile stormed ahead, drying up anything in his path as Inazuma and Mr.1 stood back to back, slicing whatever tried to get close to them, Jimbei was taking out more with his Fishman Karate right behind them, smashing them back with powerful shockwaves, Bon Clay was spinning like a ballerina, kicking everyone near him in graceful arcs.

Luffy and Amethyst were in front, leading the charge, Luffy shouting, "Let's go! To Marine Headquarters!"

The New Kamas continued to go on their rampage, stealing keys from guards and throwing them to prisoners still in their cells, telling them to join them and increase their numbers. The whole place was soon filled with the sounds of cell doors opening and chains hitting the ground as their numbers were steadily growing larger and larger.

But that was all interrupted by some unwelcome guests, a bunch of Blugori lead by some small man who was playing a pitchfork like a flute and ordering the Blugori to attack them.

"Go get that freak with the Big Head, Blugori!" a guard shouted, pointing at Ivankov.

Ivankov looked highly insulted. "Giant Head!? Don't be ridiculous, my head isn't giant! It's just my face growth synthesis!" Ivankov said, due to his large head size that he increased with his hormone abilities, he was able to look down and have a large wink at them, sending the apes flying backwards at once, even taking out a number of jailers.

"Amethyst! Straw-Hat-boy! You both can't linger here! Leave this to us and go on ahead! Keep moving up! Hurry and go!" Ivankov called to Luffy and Amethyst.

"Got it!" Luffy shouted as he knocked out some random guard before running forward with Amethyst right beside him "Thanks, Iva!"

They both continued to make their way across the bridge, Amethyst watched as Luffy went nuts, taking out at least a hundred guys at once, though it may be a biased opinion coming from her. They were both desperate to get off this floor, Amethyst was grateful that Luffy was taking on all of them without complaint as she ran beside him. They were halfway across the bridge and thought that there should be little interference from now on when several creatures came bursting out of nowhere. They looked quite peculiar, there was a giant blue rhino carrying two spiked maces, a giant yellow koala with spiked knuckles around its wrists and a zebra with purple hair and carrying a spiked mace with a long shaft. There was also a woman standing with them, she was slender with long blonde hair and very revealing clothing that left little to the imagination.

"Great, more idiots and why do they look so stupid?" Amethyst questioned, irritated.

Jimbei came then and told them that he would carve a path through, confessing that he also wasn't great at fighting on land.

Amethyst scoffed "Could've fooled me, you're strong and you fight well too, I'd say you're good on both land and water but just one more so than the other," she said confidently.

Luffy agreed, voicing how he thought he was strong as well.

The lady seemed to be ordering the creatures to attack, to which they did, running and actually pummeling New Kamas and freed prisoners like it was nothing.

They started to get closer and Luffy, Jimbei and Crocodile all attacked and Amethyst was left impressed as each attack hit one of the creatures and sent them flying back, each one out cold before they hit the ground.

The woman ordering them screamed in dismay at seeing her little followers pummeled so easily. The jailers and guards that were left seemed to realise finally that they had no chance of beating them and backed away now losing the will to fight.

The woman was now enraged screaming nonsense as she brought out a whip and started to whip parts of the bridge, making it crumble when it made contact.

Luffy went to attack but Amethyst knew it would take too long so she made a simple flick of the wrist and the girl was sent behind them to Ivankov who she knew could deal with the woman. "Luffy! Amethyst! Quickly! The staircase is nearby! follow me, I'll show you both the way!" Inazuma called suddenly.

They both nodded and followed him, they were finally going to leave this wretched floor.

"This is the Fortress of Hell! No one... SHALL ESCAPE THIS PLACE ALIVE!"

They all looked towards the doors that had now flung open and saw the Vice-Warden standing there, not looking much different, but Amethyst sensed something inside him had changed.

Hannyabal shouted about how he was going to end their lives and that there was nowhere to escape, he had a halberd in his hand and had started to swing it at Luffy who seemed to easily dodge it but one single misstep and he would be cut down.

Amethyst could tell that Hannyabal knew he had no chance and was merely trying to stall for time and she was about to step in when Luffy changed into second gear and pounded Hannyabal into the ground with his jet-Gatling until he was left black and blue. But Hannyabal still managed to push himself up and grab a hold of Luffy's leg when he was walking by.

Hannyabal wouldn't give up even as he was pounded and pummelled, even as the guards and jailers started begging him to stop and Amethyst started to admire his persistence. Luffy kept pounding on him but he wouldn't give and he wouldn't stay down.

"Would you move?! I need to save Ace!" Luffy shouted, trying to get free.

"You mean to save your brother...?" he asked Luffy with disgust in his voice "You can't save that piece of trash!"

He started to rant on about how pirates committed countless crimes and why the government was superior and pirates ended up here, with every word the air seemed to grow thicker with fury and before he could continue Amethyst had enough with his persistence and there was a resounding crack heard throughout the room as she flicked her wrist and shattered Hannyabals entire arm and then another as she cracked his neck, but not killing him, leaving herself slightly breathless but not at all fazed by the use.

She was furious, angry tears gathering in her eyes as she spoke and looked down at the Vice-Warden, "As someone who has been forced to experience the ' _Justice_ ' of the World Government in all its filth, I want to kill you right now," she hissed, everyone there could practically feel anger rolling off of her in waves. "But as I have also experienced happiness, I choose to show you mercy by sparing your naive life. It is true that some if not most pirates these days are as you say but there are good ones just as there are good people and bad people. Ace is one of those good ones."

Luffy agreed "Ace is important to me so just get lost!" he shouted.

Suddenly a darkness filled the room and everyone looked to see the cause of it and through the fog, they were able to see a figure standing there a large outline of a man. He walked forward a tad before mercilessly kicking the Vice-Warden in the head. Amethyst glancing beforehand and saw who it was. Teach. And he hadn't noticed her, she clicked her fingers and turned invisible, moving out of sight and dropping the ability so she didn't use too much energy that she had already.

Teach scanned over the group in front of him with an amused and delighted expression. "Well, what an impressive group. Looks like we came during a pretty big incident, Luck for us."

"Teach, what are you doing here?!" Jimbei demanded, his hand curling up into a tight fist as he glared up at him and the rest of his crew that came sauntering down the stairs behind him. "Or, should call I you Blackbeard now?"

As he said the name Luffy's eyes widened in shock at who this guy was. Amethyst had told him the name of the person responsible for taking in Ace and also recognised the name Teach as he remembered her telling him about who was responsible for framing her and now he knew exactly who it was as he stood in front of him.

"Blackbeard!? So... you're Blackbeard?!" he barked, marching forward, fury shining in his eyes as he stared up at the man that was twice his size.

"Straw Hat Luffy. I was sure surprised when I found out you were Commander Ace's little brother. Shouldn't you be there? You know they're going to start it soon. Your brother's execution that is!" Blackbeard remarked, laughing.

Amethyst felt her blood boiling as she realised that he was Blackbeard and he continued to speak, talking about needless things like Luffy taking down Crocodile and his aim to become a warlord and how he framed her for his attempted murder of Thatch but then she felt her heart stop as he continued to talk, his crew also butting in, the speech now taking a turn.

"He was already coming after us because of what I did to Thatch and Amethyst, so when he found out we were planning to kill his little brother, he just had to fight us himself," Blackbeard said laughing as he did so.

Amethyst felt something shift in her chest as he continued.

"You should be thankful for Ace's interference," Blackbeard admitted as he said slowly, staring Luffy dead in the eyes as he finally said, "If he hadn't interfered, the one dying today would be you, Straw-hat!"

Amethyst tore her eyes away from Blackbeard and glanced at the boy in front of him and the look on Luffy's face... the grief, the shock, the horror and... guilt. It was all too much for her to stay in control and she snapped. Eyes turning crimson as she snarled and made her presence known.

"Hey Teach, you miss me?" she sneered making Blackbeard and his crew turn to the voice. Blackbeard's eyes widened and she saw fear flash in them and grinned malevolently.

She made a hand gesture and they were all in the air, choking on an invisible force. "The only people at fault here is you and the fucking government, I should've killed you when I had the chance"

Everyone watched in horror as the girl was now holding the six men in the air by some invisible force, she looked terrifyingly enraged, her eyes blood red, rivalling the boiling blood just below them and they all found out quickly and came to understand the very reason why she had earned her name.

The men in the air started to convulse, scratching at their necks trying desperately to get oxygen into their throats that were now being cut off.

"We aren't letting Ace die!" she spat venomously, she was seething with rage. "So you can take your petty words and shove it up your ass"

"Amethyst-san! Stop!" Jimbei yelled suddenly "This isn't the time! You must endure it! What is most important here?! We cannot afford to waste time on him even if you are able to defeat him!"

She didn't relent, she felt so much rage, someone like him could betray his own family, she never had a family before the Whitebeard Pirates and this bastard has the audacity to treat them as if they were no better than dirt, she couldn't fathom someone so despicable. She was blinded by so much fury.

Luffy watched in shock and horror as he started to see her start to change, different than what he's seen before now and knew he had to stop her before she went too far. He ran up to her and grabbed her out stretched arm. "Am! Stop! We have to get to Ace! Let's go!"

She felt herself calm almost instantly as his hand grabbed a hold of her arm, his frantic voice reaching her ears and her eyes started turning back to normal, red disappearing and she dropped the men to the floor, all of them now unconscious but not dead. She felt blood dripping from her hairline but didn't feel too bad and looked to Luffy. "Sorry Lu," she said softly.

Crocodile started to talk out loud to himself, he was full of curiosity as to why Blackbeard was there at this time especially, it was all very bizarre.

That was when they heard someone cry out, "Magellan is almost here!"

"This is not good," Iva said and he called out to the two siblings "Hurry up and get going! If Straw-hat-boy is hit by any more poison then I won't be able to save you a second time!"

New Kama's and prisoners started to run up the stairs hearing Magellan's name. Luffy and Amethyst lingered a few seconds longer, staring at Blackbeard, giving him identical glares of hatred.

"We're definitely going to save Ace!" Luffy yelled and through sheer will power, they both walked right passed them, though they both wanted to go back there and finish them off, unconscious or not.

Jimbei ran forward and Amethyst and Luffy followed behind, Amethyst still felt enraged that he put all the blame on Luffy and the fact that he was the one to take Ace in, she looked to Luffy and saw that he seemed ready to bite off the head of the next poor fool to bother him. She grabbed his hand and his head turned to look at her and she smiled reassuringly, he smiled back, both of them having identical looks of determination and trust in one another and themselves.

They headed towards the stairs again and a Minotaurus came down and blocked their path, Amethyst let go of Luffy's hand and gestured to the creature. He looked at it, eyes still filled with anger. He started to march forward, face twisted in rage.

People started to protest to what he was going to do but Jimbei held them back, agreeing with where Amethyst was going with encouraging Luffy to fight it.

"Move," Luffy said. His tone wasn't angry but it was a clear warning that whatever was blocking his way needed to heed his warning or else things weren't going to turn out very well for them. The Minotaurus looked down at Luffy and paid no mind to his warning and lifted his club and slammed it right over Luffy's head. Luffy stood his ground as he shook angrily, his eyes burning hotter than ever as he shifted into second gear and slammed his fist right into the Minotaurus' gut and it was sent flying right through the doorway and crashed into a wall, out cold as it stuck into it.

Amethyst stared at Luffy who was shaking violently "ACE!" he screamed out.

The pathway was now cleared enough for everyone to move forward again and Amethyst grabbed Luffy by the arm as he panted and they all started bolting up the stairs after cheering about their freedom. She kept her eyes on Luffy, he looked a little calmer after venting some frustration and she was glad, even though she still felt her own anger bubbling.

"STRAAAAAAW HAAAAAAAT! DEEEEEVIILLL EEYYYYYYYYESSS!" roared a voice directly below them and Amethyst felt herself peak in excitement and aggravation, thinking that this was her chance to vent but kept running, she didn't want to face him unless there was a need to but if they could still break out without having to confront him, then she would rather that.

She heard some people screeching in fear.

"I WILL NEVER LET EITHER OF YOU GET AWAY!" Magellan's voice rang out again.

Luffy looked back, his eyes widening as he realised who it was. They felt the entire place start to shake. They kept running Up and Up, with the sound of Hydra's right on their tails and then finally they burst through the doors of Level 3, now racing across the sand-covered floor to find the stairs but as they did, the Hydra had finally caught up with them, taking out some prisoners that were trailing behind.

Luffy turned and looked on in horror as he saw more and more prisoners getting caught by the Hydra and more appearing but Bon Clay snapped him out of it. "Straw Hat! Don't look back! Just keep running!" he cried prancing alongside him.

And so they ran and ran as hard and fast as they could, reaching the stairs in a surprisingly short amount of time. Inazuma and Ivankov both stopped at the foot of the stairs, calling everyone over. Everyone bolted up the steps and right past them as they began the long ascend to Level 2.

Amethyst realised that the Hydra should've caught up by now but wasn't, she felt something weird in the pit of her stomach but ignored it and kept running.

After an agonisingly long run up the stairs they finally managed to reach Level 2, now they had to get through all the accursed beasts and all that would be left was Level 1. As they kept running through corridors and up more stairs they noticed how it was seemingly empty, hardly anyone there, guards or prisoners. An echoing bashing noise was heard from behind and Manticores came rushing out attacking whoever was closest. Amethyst dodging them and Luffy kicking away as many as he could. More beasts started to appear and things were starting to get more desperate and as their newly made allies started dropping rapidly.

Luffy then looked behind them, "That's weird, the poison guy was right behind us a second ago," he panted hard.

Bon Clay who was also there, taking out animals here and there then answered, "Inazuma and Iva stopped him at the stairway!" he shouted.

Luffy stared at him and cried out "They're fighting the poison guy now?! Let's go back!"

Bon Clay turned to him and yelled, "Don't you dare! If they're fighting, then that means that it's all the more important for us to keep going forward! We have to believe in the power of the Miracle Worker!"

Luffy looked angrily back at Bon Clay but he knew that he was right as much as it pains him, he had considered them his friends and now he was going to leave them behind, even if it wasn't permanent.

"There are battleships stationed all around the prison outside! If we are able to hijack one then we should still have time to reach Marineford before Ace is executed!" Jimbei told them, now running beside the two siblings. Luffy and Amethyst nodding at him.

"The moron is just going to have to wait for us then," Amethyst spoke, making Luffy nod in agreement. Up and up they ran, much like the previous set of staircases passing all the blood-soaked forest scenery and ascending, it took several long minutes but they finally reached Level 1, hope and happiness blossoming in their chests but then they saw that the guards that they were sure were waiting for them were already knocked out.

They ran and burst through to Level 1 and were met with quite a surprising sight, the whole place was filled with escaped prisoners with Buggy and Mr.3 standing there, their path blocked but the same guards from before. Luffy and Jimbei ran passed everyone and straight for the Demon guards and took out all four easily.

Amethyst who was watching from the sidelines heard a voice screech out and turned to see Buggy and Mr.3 on the floor staring up in terror at Crocodile who hadn't even noticed them, she walked over and smirked.

"Huh?" Crocodile said, looking down at Mr.3 like he was dirt beneath his feet, "Oh, so it's you, Mr.3. What's a worthless piece of trash like you doing here?"

Amethyst interrupted. "Well, if it's my two least favourite people, how's life going? This where you both ended up after ditching me, Bon and Lu back there?"

The two on the floor looked to the girl and scream in shock, she smiled and nudged her head towards Luffy and Jimbei and the two then looked and spotted Luffy, screaming in shock again.

"You think we were dead?" she asked, voice sickeningly sweet.

Luffy seemed to notice the screams and turned his head, seeing the two on the floor and smiled when he spotted them "What a relief! So you guys are alright?!"

"MY HEART!" Buggy cried out as if he had been stabbed.

"IT HURTS SO MUCH!" Mr.3 shouted as they began to cry.

Amethyst scoffed and made a small hand gesture and they fell backwards... hard, hitting their heads against the floor. She grinned and started to walk towards Luffy.

"AM! What did you just do!?" Luffy said his voice had a tinge of anger in it.

She looked innocently at him, looking around like she hadn't done anything and shrugged. "What? I didn't do anything," she said, grinning at him.

Bon Clay seemed to catch on as well and turned angrily towards the two now rubbing their heads and kicked them over and over again, shouting how they could leave them back there.

The prisoners were arguing and Amethyst was getting a headache from them all, wanting so desperately to just throw them in the ocean and play a game of who sinks and who swims.

"HYDRA!" a voice boomed and they all turned to see three Hydra heads bursting through the doorway, Magellan slowly walking up to face them all. He looked beyond mad he was furious. Stone cold rage on his face. His eyes then landed on Luffy and Luffy only.

"Not that I'm not done with the perverted boss, my new priority is you!" he growled dangerously.

Amethyst snapped her head towards Luffy and saw him seething with rage, hands clenched and eyes wide as he mouthed the names of Inazuma and Ivankov and she stood in front of him. "Don't go kill them off so easily, they're strong. Don't listen to him, I told you, I'm fighting him," she said seriously, looking him dead in the eyes. But she could see that he may not listen to her so she looked at Bon Clay and he understood, now holding Luffy back before he did something stupid.

Bon Clay was holding him back trying to talk some sense into him but Luffy struggled against him and wouldn't listen to reason.

Jimbei started shouting suddenly, saying that things have gotten worse and they needed to hurry to the next floor, the way he warned and shouted was desperate and serious and although it took a while Luffy actually listened and they all started to run.

Magellan suddenly sent one of his Hydra heads shooting straight for Luffy's back but Amethyst stopped it. She glared at the man "Don't think just because you beat me before you can do it again, I'm not as injured as I was before, That poison-induced sleep really helped me build my strength. Thanks," she said mockingly, her body was starting to repair itself a whole lot faster, she guessed she could thank the whole trial and error of this damn prison for that, she noticed Luffy had also gained a relative amount of strength as well or maybe they were just feeding on their own determination.

Magellan looked angered even more so as she mocked him. Sending two more Hydra heads at her to which she easily stopped. "Oops sorry, A, for effort though," she said and turned to Luffy and Jimbei who were standing there, still not running like the others and shouted at them, "Jimbei! you said you were going to steal a ship right? I'll play with this guy while you do that. Luffy you go too! They'll need your help, that clown idiot is going to lead them to their deaths otherwise!"

Jimbei didn't seem to hesitate, he had witnessed her power enough to know she was capable of holding her own and it would be hard to steal a ship with him on their heels. He nodded in understanding then turned and ran up to the entrance.

Luffy stared at her longer "LU! Inazuma and Ivankov are alive! They'll need you up there waiting for them! Now go! I'll be fine!" she shouted, seeing his hesitation.

He nodded, having full trust in her and ran after Jimbei, the remaining people then running up as well.

"Oh, are you talking about Ivankov? I executed him, of course," Magellan said.

Amethyst scoffed, still holding the Hydra heads back. "Like you executed Luffy and me? That's cute," she said.

Amethyst made a hand gesture, eyes turning white and Magellan was lying on the floor as if he were stuck there like glue, unable to move a muscle. She whistled and laughed, taunting him. "Laying around on the job Warden? Now, maybe that Vice-Warden should become Warden, then again, he does have a shattered arm and I did break his neck, so maybe after he heals?"

She could see the anger building in his eyes and she relished in it, she then remembered hearing Luffy's screams and moved a finger, a loud crack resounding through the area, "There goes your left leg" Movement. **_Crack_**. "There goes your other leg" Movement. **_Crunch_**. "Ooh, I did both arms with that one" Ten years of his life. Movement. **_Crunch_**. "You know the spine is quite a useless thing, don't you think? Well, at least for you. I'm glad I got rid of that for you" The words of Him, Blackbeard and Hannyabal. Movement. **_Pop_**. "There goes your jaw, now you can't spout any more of your bullshit"

She then looked at him as she had her eyes trailing elsewhere and saw him bleeding quite a bit, seeing jagged dents in his clothes, indicating bones that she had forced to break and rip through the skin. She looked into his eyes and saw he was still conscious but they were now shrouded with pain, his mouth hanging open unnaturally and then she gave one more flick of her wrist and his neck cracked, his eyes falling closed. She didn't know if he was dead and she didn't care.

She stopped and remembered something the guards in Level 4 that he had killed shouted when they were covered in poison and she hunched towards the Warden, raiding his pockets and taking something she was sure was what she was looking for and turned around quickly, running up the stairs, feeling her head pounding from the use of her ability but nothing she couldn't handle at this point in time. She recognised where she was as she got to the final hallway and she could still hear voices, meaning they still hadn't found a way to escape yet.

She ran and ran and finally turned around the last corner and saw Luffy, Bon Clay and the rest of the people there, excluding Jimbei and Crocodile. Even Ivankov was there, not in the best of conditions though, nose bleeding and mouth dripping with blood, Inazuma was in his arm, coated in a layer of poison.

She ran to Luffy and he looked to her, relief flooding in his eyes and she winked at him, "What's happening?"

"Jimbei stole a ship but said they're too far away and we have to jump into the sea," he said nervously.

Amethyst nodded, getting over her initial shock and looked at all of them "Well, what are you idiots waiting for? Fucking jump,"

They all started shouting at her and she rolled her eyes she looked around and suddenly noticed something, cursing under her breath she looked at Luffy and smiled. He looked at her, smiling back though he wasn't sure why and then she flicked her wrist and sent them all into the ocean.

She grinned watching as they all went flying towards the sea, near it but instead of sinking like most of them expected, they landed on something rubbery and firm. She watched as Luffy laughed happily as they all noticed what they landed on. They landed on sharks, smiling sharks to be exact, he was staring at them in amazement.

 **'Lu, I'll be back I promise'**

Luffy jerked at the voice and looked around, quickly realising that he couldn't see Amethyst, he snapped his head towards the entrance of the prison and saw her still standing there. "AM!"

Amethyst smiled at him and then disappeared from sight.

Amethyst closed her eyes, hoping it would work, and she tried to sense the person she was looking for and surprisingly she could. She ran and ran down a hallway and took a sharp turn, bursting through a door. And almost gasped at seeing Magellan but calmed down as she realised who it actually was.

"Well, you shouldn't be here, you thought you could slip away and make another sacrifice? Nope," Amethyst said and 'Magellan' and the guard who was there, turned to her and she grinned.

"Come on Bon, you think I wouldn't notice? Very noble and I like you even more now but you know I can open the gates myself," she informed.

BonGellan looked at her in shock and tears gathered in his eyes and he turned back to normal.

She grabbed his hand and they ran to the entrance of the prison and she hoped to whatever God there might be that she had just enough energy to make it the distance, she closed her eyes, turning them red and gripped Bon Clay's hand even tighter then clicked her fingers and as she did, she felt the wind get knocked out of her, her eyes shot open and she saw Luffy and felt relief flood through her as she turned and saw Bon Clay as well, it worked.

She put her hand up suddenly. "Lu, I swear if you jump me I will punch you so hard," she warned half-heartedly. Luffy stopped his movements and pouted but she grinned and lay flat on the deck, looking up at the sky, breathing heavily, deciding to just rest there for the time being. She then remembered something as she heard Ivankov shouting for people to get medical supplies.

"Iva!" She called out, getting his attention, she gave Luffy the bottle in her hand and told him to give it to Ivankov. "I got it off Magellan, I'm sure it's the antidote. I don't know the extent of what you both went through but I hope it can be of use," she said and Ivankov thanked her.

Suddenly cannon balls started to fly at them, one of them causing Buggy to fall apart into pieces and hit the deck. An entire fleet was after them and they were all full of cannons. Jimbei was at the wheel and expertly steered out of the way of most of them but not all of them.

She noticed that Jimbei and Crocodile looked at Bon Clay surprised and knew that they also had known about the sacrifice but she knew better than to get angry, there was no time and they truly believed that, that was the only option.

Amethyst glanced and saw the gates.

"This is bad! These gates will never will never open for us!" Mr.3 started to scream in despair.

Buggy then ran over to Jimbei and grabbed his Kimono, shaking him hard, though not actually budging the Fishman. "What are we going to do, you damn shark!?"

"OI! Moronic Duo, why don't you shut up and just wait patiently or make yourself useful as you can see we are being attacked," Amethyst snapped causing both people to shut up. Luffy started to shout at everyone to protect the ship in the meanwhile and they all began running around, trying to do what they could to protect it. The prisoners and New Kama's ran around doing everything they could to get the cannons working and loading them up to fire back, though most of them missed by miles but thankfully some had hit their target and were continuing to bombard them.

They got closer and closer to the gate until they finally reached it.

Amethyst quickly went into action and turned her eyes red, sticking both hands out and making quick hand gestures, a loud creaking sound, emitting through the air from the gates as they started to force open, a crack of light peering through as it opened up.

People started to cheer and she felt her self smile as she let her ability drop knowing that the were open enough to slip through.

"You okay, Bon?" She questioned as she saw he was still in tears.

"I... thank you for coming back for me!" he cried in gratitude.

She smiled at him and shook her head, turning her attention back to the sky, watching as the clouds moved and despite the dreadful day that was still ongoing, the sky stayed beautiful as if in a blissful state of obliviousness to what they had in store for them. "No worries," she said simply and smiled at Luffy who seemed confused at the exchange.

And then she turned again, eyes glowing red and the gates started to close behind them.

They had escaped.


	12. Chapter 12: Navy HQ - Marineford

_**Disclaimer: Does Bon Clay stay behind? Then I do not own it... Oda Owns.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 12.**

* * *

Most of the prisoners and some of the New Kama's were celebrating but Amethyst and Luffy were just on the deck, Luffy sitting and Amethyst laying there, still trying to regain as much strength as she could before they ultimately entered a war.

Inazuma was resting, thankfully Amethyst had the antidote, he was still weak but nowhere near as bad as he would've been having to fight it off himself.

"Am..." Luffy said.

"Mm?"

"What are your powers?"

She looked at him and saw he was looking back, a look of curiosity on his face. She sighed and turned back to the sky. "I'm not sure honestly, I was just born with it,"

He perked up then "So, not a Devil Fruit?" he questioned.

"Nope, I can still swim unlike you two moronic brothers," she teased, he poked his tongue out at her and looked away.

"Am..."

"Yes, Luffy," She answered.

"What if I die?"

She snapped her head towards him and she could see the slight fear on his face. "You aren't going to die, we are going to save Ace and while we fight to free him, I am going to make sure you don't die," she finished.

Luffy nodded, fear disappearing from his face.

Buggy suddenly came stumbling on deck, a bottle of booze in his hand and started slurring out words towards Amethyst. "You were supposed to be dead but I guess there's nothing I can do about it now"

Luffy seemed to finally get over his friendliness and punched Buggy straight in the nose, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the deck. Amethyst was surprised, she didn't think he would hit him, he didn't even say anything too bad, in her opinion, but maybe he still needed to vent.

"Luffy..." Jimbei's gruff voice suddenly spoke up and they both looked to him, his back was turned as he continued, "I owe you a great debt for allowing me the chance to save Ace."

Amethyst disagreed with the sentiment and Luffy seemed to agree as he jumped up to his feet and walked over to Jimbei. "Oh, don't say things like that! It's no problem at all! I feel better that you're here actually, you're really strong!" he said energetically.

Jimbei was quiet for a moment but then said, "You can call me Jimbei" Amethyst watched his expression and could vaguely tell that he wanted to say more but was hesitating as if what he wanted to say was going to affect his welcome somehow. Buggy stood up and went to try and punch Luffy back.

Jimbei then continued seriously, "I used to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but I abandoned that title." his face had a grim look on it, but then settled into determination. "Let's unleash hell on Marine Headquarters!"

Luffy looked confused and questioned slowly, "One of the Warlords?"

Buggy also looked confused but for another reason. "Marine Headquarters?" he questioned.

Amethyst laughed at their reactions, Luffy as oblivious as ever and Buggy as stupid and annoying and infuriatingly moronic as ever. Luffy and Buggy fell back on the deck and cried out in shock.

"You mean, you're one of the Warlords?! No wonder you're so strong!" Luffy cried out in amazement.

Most of the former prisoners and New Kama's started to gather around the commotion, some quite calm about the mention of Marineford but maybe still looking a bit paler at the sheer imagination of the war, prisoners having the same reaction to Buggy as this was the first that they were hearing this.

"Forgive me, I should've introduced myself sooner," Jimbei said as Luffy got back on his feet.

"I'm more surprised the moron didn't know himself," Amethyst cut in and Luffy snapped his head towards her.

"You knew!?" he exclaimed in shock. She rolled her eyes at him and looked back to the sky answering him blandly, "Yes Lu, I knew about him being a Warlord." Before he could argue with her for not telling him, Buggy interrupted.

"HEY! Whaddya mean, Marine Headquarters!? You better not be saying that this ship is going to Navy HQ!" Buggy yelled.

"That is correct," Jimbei answered calmly.

"WHAT!? You do about the war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates, Don't you?!" Buggy screeched in terror.

Crocodile then spoke up in annoyance, looking utterly bored at the whole outburst, blowing a puff of smoke. "What are you talking about? It's not our faults that you're idiotic,"

"Croc is right, we made it clear that we were saving Ace, or did your brain fall out whilst you were running away cowardly before?" Amethyst remarked, looking at the clown like he wasn't worth the effort of even explaining anything to.

"WHAT!?" Buggy screamed in terror, not sure whether it's because of the thought of Marine Headquarters or the two people insulting him.

Crocodile only seemed to sink more into boredom as he watched Buggy quiver in fear and shock. "Now that we are through the Gates of Justice we're travelling on the Governments private sea route, the only possible destinations are Enies Lobby and Marine Headquarters. It's this big swirling current that connects the Government's three top facilities. The only reason we escaped in the first place is that we wanted to join the battle," Crocodile explained calmly.

Amethyst thought that this was one of the times where she was glad that Crocodile came along, just to see Buggy and Mr.3 scream in terror as they realised they had escaped somewhere considered as hell only to be heading towards one that was guaranteed to be a lot worse, it was worth the extra annoyance.

"Yeah, the battle begins now!" Luffy said smiling, nodding calmly as Crocodile went on.

Prisoners started freaking out as they heard the plan and tried but failed to turn the ship around only to be informed that it was quite useless especially since there was literally no way for them to turn back on the current they were riding, without dying, of course.

Amethyst's eyes gleamed with delight and she made a small hand gesture and the two cowards on the floor were suddenly floating in midair. "Why don't I just drop you guys overboard? Then you both can get off," she suggested sinisterly.

"PUT US DOWN! WE'LL DIE!" They both screeched in fear and she dropped them, then glanced around to the prisoners. "Anyone else wants to take up the offer and get off?" she asked.

They all shook their heads violently, backing up from the girl and she nodded in satisfaction "Good, now shut up and deal with it"

"All of us from New Kama Land knew all along!"

"Then you should've warned us!" one of the prisoners cried out.

A ringing went off suddenly and everyone's attention turned to the mast that had a small door built right into it, where the ringing was coming from. Luffy suddenly opened the small door and saw a Transponder snail, without hesitation whatsoever, he answered it, causing Amethyst to sigh but listen intently to the conversation.

"Uh, hello?"

"This is Marine Headquarters," A serious voice replied over the receiver.

"Hi, this is Luffy," Luffy said casually.

"DON'T TELL HIM YOUR NAME! YOU'RE A PIRATE!" Everyone shouted but Amethyst just laughed.

"The Impel Down security fleet reports that a large group of prison escapees has captured a ship. We've identified three of the ringleaders from the prison's video transmission," the marine stated. Going on to mention Amethyst and Luffy and surprisingly Buggy but then went on to explain how he was a formerly on the Pirate King's ship and Amethyst was surprised but it soon melted to annoyance as she watched the prisoners stare at him in awe, she realised how delusional they were going to be from now on. The marine also admitting that they knew of Jimbei, Ivankov, Crocodile and the many escaped prisoner working with Luffy and Amethyst on the stolen ship and then going on to say, that they'll never reach Marine Headquarters if the Gates of Justice didn't open, which they most of them weren't worried about with Amethyst onboard.

Before the Marine could hang up Luffy stopped him and told him to wait. He took a deep breath and said filled with determination, "I'm definitely going to save Ace! So just wash your potatoes and wait!" he shouted out over the receiver and hung it up.

An awkward silence stretched as everyone tried to process what he just said.

"Lu, it's 'Watch your necks," not wash your potatoes," Amethyst said in exasperation.

"Like this is a time to wash potatoes!" one of the prisoners shouted.

Amethyst then turned to Buggy "Clown... so you were a member of Roger's, eh?" she asked and then prisoners started to question and praise him. Buggy looked shocked and horrified probably not wanting anyone to find that out, he was flying pretty under the radar.

"And despite that, he is so weak," Mr.1 said.

"How is he such a coward then!?" Mr. 3 cried out.

"Well, they do say that all ships have one black sheep," Ivankov said as many around him agreed with the sentiment.

"SHUT UP!" Buggy roared as everyone started to insult him left and right.

"I can't believe Rayleigh put up with someone like you," Amethyst said, remembering Rayleigh saying he was the first mate and vaguely mentioning Buggy. "Now that you mention it... the old Vice-captain guy did mention something about you..." Luffy remarked.

"YOU TWO MET RAYLEIGH!?" Buggy gasped out in excitement, now looking somewhat nostalgic at the mention. "Oh, that takes me back! The vice-captain, huh? Where'd you meet that old sea-dog, now?"

"Yeah, he's pretty cool, he looked after me while I was injured in Sabaody, helped me out a bit," Amethyst mentioned, now feeling bored again, looking at the different shapes in the clouds.

She heard people starting to shout that Buggy was so cool and calling him captain, saying he was special and then they all started to cheer his name. She was surprised hearing him rejecting and trying to shut them up. She turned her attention to Buggy and saw that he had now developed a dark smirk, the prisoners around him were getting riled up and even grabbing their weapons and saying that Buggy just had to say the word and they would steal the ship.

"Now then, Straw Hat! How about you handing the ship over to us?"

"We've got Captain Buggy on our side to lead us!"

"You think we'll go to Navy HQ after we just escaped!?"

"We're counting on you, Captain Buggy!"

"Well now, it seems you all are thinking of taking me up on my offer after all?" Amethyst butted in and they all looked at her, expressions not as confident as they were before, she grinned at them and held her hand up and they seemed to shrink back a bit. "Careful, I might accidentally think that you all need to cool off," she said and lay back down, happy when she heard silence but then heard Buggy giving a speech to his new followers and saying something about going to Marineford and finally getting the chance to take Whitebeards head.

Amethyst sat up and growled, grabbing the attention of everyone on deck, including Buggy and his followers. "If you're going to talk about taking Pops' head then do it elsewhere before I throw you all overboard for insulting his name," she hissed.

The Prisoners all shut up but still gave Buggy looks and she just rolled her eyes, scooching so now she could lean against the rail of the ship.

"So, it's settled then," Luffy said calmly, his hands behind his head as he stared out at nothing in particular.

Buggy and his followers moved elsewhere to celebrate and cheer on their impending success. Luffy, Amethyst, Jimbei, Crocodile and the others just ignore them. Ivankov was staying near the door of where Inazuma was situated, calling Bon Clay or other New Kama's now and then to replace the bandages on him. Crocodile was sitting on a cannon just staring out at nothing and smoking on his cigar.

Most of the New Kama's were checking their weapons and cleaning them, talking over plans and strategies for when they get to the war.

Luffy and Amethyst had moved to sit at the very front of the ship staring out to sea, Amethyst was taking in the beauty of the waves and the salty scent that bounced off of them, the light spray of sea water feeling refreshing on her skin. She looked to her side and saw Luffy with a rather stoic look on his face... he was worried... he couldn't take in the feeling of freedom as he thought about his brother and no matter how he was reassured he wouldn't feel okay until he saw Ace freed physically in front of his eyes.

She wouldn't admit it but Amethyst was scared... she was scared because she didn't want to be too late, didn't want to fail, didn't want the dream that guaranteed that she would save Ace, to be just that... A dream. But she was going to try even if it cost her everything.

"Hey, Lu, did I tell you about a dream I had?" she asked suddenly, making the boy turn to her and shake his head.

"Well, my powers and where they come from is very... mysterious," she said, trying to explain in a way that would help him understand. "And so I had this dream and a voice, that knew me and knew of my powers spoke to me and it told me that Ace would be saved, no matter what." She finished and watched as Luffy perked up a bit and nodded.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and felt him relax more. The sound of clunking footsteps was heard and Jimbei came up to join the two but neither of them looked to the Fishman, just continuing to stare out to sea.

"I know you both are worried about Ace, but you should both rest while you can. We're about to plunge into a war that will change the world. If Impel Down is the Strongest Prison then Navy HQ is the World's Mightiest Stronghold"

A silence stretched on and Amethyst felt that this conversation was more for Luffy than her, so she waited for him to say something.

"I see... Navy HQ sounds even worse than Impel Down was," he said finally.

"Marineford is afraid that old Whitebeard will attack them and so they gathered their greatest forces together in one place," Jimbei responded, confirming their suspicion.

Amethyst closed her eyes and thought about how dangerous everything was going to be, the chaos that they were about to face, she had faced chaos before, been through more than most people, not many can say they started with less... but was this something she could handle? She wasn't sure.

"I wanted to avoid an all out war, but it seems inevitable now," Jimbei said angrily. Luffy nodded dully as Jimbei went to double check that they were on the right track and to make plans, leaving the two alone again.

They both continued sitting there, leaning into each other, not saying a word. Luffy was startled to feel something warm and wet drip down his arm and he checked to see Amethyst who was still leaning on his shoulder, had tears rolling down her face, her eyes still closed and he didn't know whether she was asleep or not.

"Thank you," he said suddenly, not really expecting a response.

"For what?" she asked, indicating that she was awake and wiped her tears away, acting as if they were merely splashes from the sea, nothing of any importance.

"You looked after me and were looking out for me the whole time we were in the prison. You keep telling me not to worry even though you're also worrying... you remind me of Ace, he was the same when we were kids," he said, voice full of appreciation.

Amethyst smiled a bit. "It's fine Luffy, we care about you... you're special, a sort of special that we don't want to change or get hurt," she responded fondly.

He didn't say anything to that but smiled. They continued to stare out, their bodies still but their minds racing, their minds were a million miles away, thinking of all that's at stake and all they have to lose, everything that has led them to this moment and the memories that they shared with Ace, that reinforced their decision to go through with jumping recklessly into a war that was most probably out of their league.

Half an hour later Jimbei came back walking up the stairs and surprised to see the two still sitting there, Luffy sitting as he was and Amethyst now laying down on her back, eyes closed, looking like they both had the world on their shoulders, though Amethyst was sleeping, her expression was enough to determine that she was still feeling less than peaceful.

"Luffy-kun, you better try to get some rest," he called out.

"Sure... thanks," Luffy called back absentmindedly. "But, I'm fine."

Jimbei then seemed to be occupied with something else as he noticed the wind working against them and saw that they were probably going to take longer to get there because of it. He glanced back at the boy now and then, feeling worried at the silence but thought it best to not bother him and let him be.

Jimbei then left and got into an argument with Crocodile who was full of complaints and empty threats but before it could escalate quickly and turn physical, Luffy had gotten to his feet suddenly, finally moving but never looking away from the sea and they seemed to go back to what they were doing before the pointless argument.

"I'm coming now Ace, Wait for me!" Luffy muttered.

A few minuted passed and Luffy had pulled out Ace's Vivre Card and watched it move in the direction they were heading. Jimbei noticed this and called out to Luffy, "Is that Ace's, Vivre Card?"

Luffy turned around and jumped down to where Jimbei was. "Yeah," he answered and Jimbei smiled as he did so.

"Ace-san told me a lot about you, I heard you always used to run around together," Jimbei confessed.

"Yeah," Luffy replied. "We were always together," he said fondly as he smiled genuinely for the first time in a while.

"Yes, Ace-san seems very fond of those memories with you"

Luffy beamed up at the Fishman and started to gloat about how strong Ace was even before he had eaten a Devil Fruit and how he could never beat him, they both were now smiling as they talked about the memories that Luffy and Ace shared and Amethyst who had woken up not too long ago smiled as she listened to Luffy, sounding more normal. But then an annoying voice interrupted.

"Ah, I ate so much!"

Buggy and his followers had then walked back up on deck, looking happy and full of food as they had raided the storage room. Amethyst feeling annoyed at the disturbance put her hands over her ear just as Buggy had asked Jimbei how things were going like he was someone of importance.

"Hmm?" Jimbei asked bored, unconcerned about the presence, treating him as if he were some insignificant bug.

Luffy ignored his presence as well and jumped back to where he was before and sat down next to Amethyst. She opened her eyes, feeling the presence and looked up at him, grinning as he smiled back at her.

Another ten minutes passed as they entered a deep fog of the sea, Luffy leaned forward then as he could see something in the distance, through the mist. "I see it! Hey! Jimbei! I can see the Gates of Justice! That was pretty fast!" he cried out in excitement.

Amethyst shot up in a sitting position and squinted trying to see what he saw and when she spotted it she felt relief spread through her, they were finally there.

"No," Jimbei suddenly said, his tone serious. "We're actually pretty late! We would've arrived earlier, had the wind been favourable... but how are we going to get through?" Jimbei questioned, brows furrowing.

"I'll open it don't worry," Amethyst said, now standing up beside Luffy, staring at the Gate that came closer. They both ignored the cheers from Buggy and his followers. As they got closer to it, Amethyst got ready and turned her eyes red.

"WAIT! LOOK!"

Her eyes turned back to normal and she was pleasantly surprised and sceptical as the gates started to open without her trying to do anything.

"They opened!" Luffy cried out happily.

"What is going on here!?" Jimbei asked, feeling unnerved by the whole thing. "The engine room is most likely in Marineford but who could've done this?"

Buggy started shouting nonsense and stood beside Luffy where he and Amethyst were currently standing. His followers started to shout about him being God's messenger, even Luffy questioning it, expression full of amazement and Amethyst wanted to bash her head in.

"Of course he's not! There must be some trick!" Mr.3 shouted at them all, saving her from saying something. Suddenly waves started to rise, because of the gates and the ship went lob-sided and sent everyone sliding to one side of the deck as they lost their footing.

"Well, Whatever, Let's Go!" Luffy shouted as he was laughing and smiling.

They thankfully, despite the slight turbulence, passed through without any difficulties but some of the smarter ones on board were waiting for something to happen, not believing for a second that they were this lucky to have made it through.

"We made it past the gates after all," Ivankov said now strolling to stand behind Luffy and Amethyst. "Now then, I wonder if you two and Ace-boys father will show up,"

"Huh? Our father?" Luffy questioned confused. Amethyst giggled to herself. Ivankov bent down and whispered to both of them, "Since Ace is about to be executed, I'm sure that Dragon will do something"

Luffy finally understood what he was saying and informed him happily, "Oh, Me, Ace and Am don't have the same father, Ace's Dad is Gold Roger and Am's Dad is some bastard Celestial Dragon"

Amethyst's eyes widened and she hit Luffy in the head "LUFFY! You can't just reveal that kind of information! Now shut up and stop talking!"

"Sorry..." he said, now rubbing his head.

Amethyst turned to look at Ivankov and saw that he had frozen in shock, eyes wide as he stared at the both of them."WHAT!?" he screamed in shock. Both Luffy and Amethyst had turned around and now saw that the entire ship was staring at them in stunned disbelief, they just continued to stare at the two as if they both suddenly became conjoined. Their jaws all dropped open as they were trying to digest the news about their origins even Mr.1 and Crocodile looked shocked at the revelation.

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" they all screamed.

Amethyst sighed and used her hand to wave off the surprise, "He wasn't supposed to reveal that, it's a secret so just keep your mouths shut," she said nonchalantly. Luffy agreed and nodded his head after blinking blankly at the reactions.

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" they screamed again at the plain looks on their faces and how calm they were acting.

Amethyst noticed them starting to try and badger them with questions but she glared at them all and they backed off immediately.

"Luffy is Ace and I's little brother, what else is there that you need to know?" she questioned irritatedly. Luffy nodded and agreed happily and all of them returned to what they were doing, knowing that they weren't going to give any answers. But Amethyst noticed the small fearful and hateful glances that she kept receiving, she ignored them and looked forward as they kept sailing onwards.

When something happened... the sea started to toss and turn, huge waves forming out of nowhere and thrashing them around violently, people started to scream and shout in fear and confusion.

"What's going on!?"

"The ship is being blown backwards by a tremendous force!"

Buggy started to shout, "How is this even possible!?" He and Mr.3 were holding onto the rails so they wouldn't go flailing off the ship.

"How is this happening?!" Mr.3 screamed as he let go of Buggy's lower half of his body that had separated from his upper half.

Luffy and Amethyst were one of the few that stayed standing, Luffy holding his hand onto his hat so that it wouldn't go flying off.

"Dammit Pops! Your timing is just great!" Amethyst shouted sarcastically as she blocked the wind from burning her eyes.

"This is him?" Luffy asked in astonishment, she nodded, she had experienced it a couple times and she always loved to watch him in action even if it was only twice, it was very rare, seeing as there were many people that could stop the attack so that he didn't have to step in. But she preferred to be on the other side of the attack.

It went on like that as vibrations wracked the ship to and fro, all of them end up falling to the deck, landing hard in giant piles all over the place, then just as suddenly everything became calm and smooth.

Everyone started to pick themselves up and look around to see what exactly happened. Luffy rushed over to Jimbei and started shaking his kimono frantically "Hey! Jimbei!" he cried out, sounding like he was panicking "We have to get there before Ace is executed! Hurry!" he begged.

Jimbei looked back at him and nodded in understanding. "Do not worry Luffy, we will definitely get there in time!" he promised firmly.

"Really?!" Luffy asked believing his words completely and smiling.

Buggy then started to talk again, "Hey! Hey! You sure seem confident here! Do you think Fishman Karate is gonna work here?" he asked, joining his lower half back to his upper half. "Or are you gonna summon up whale sharks to help us again?"

"My power will not help us here," Jimbei confessed.

"Really?" Buggy demanded, "Then who's power are we gonna use?"

" _Shut up_ Buggy before I pop that fat nose!" Amethyst hissed, completely annoyed at this point.

Buggy shut up but mumbled under his breath, laying down on the ground as he announced he was going to sleep.

Suddenly they started to zoom forward, faster than before and Amethyst finally realised what was happening and her eyes widened, she cursed underneath her breath. Luffy noticed the change in pace as well and quickly asked Jimbei if he had something to do with it.

"I'm just holding the wheel," Jimbei replied and Amethyst noticed that he was bracing himself as if he also knew what was coming. Luffy who didn't notice the two and their expressions seemed to start bouncing in excitement, waving off whatever reason that this might be happening.

"Right! Now we might make it after all!" Luffy shouted happily.

But the good mood seemed to die as a shadow slowly began to loom over them, for towering over them was a wave, but the wave like an untamed giant beast, rising from its slumber, a huge black wall, the size of a mountain that was so large that it blocked everything from their view and looked like they were going to get consumed by it.

"TSUNAMI!"

"IT'S HUGE! IT'S GONNA SWALLOW US UP!"

Amethyst looked at it calmly and looked to Luffy to see if he was alright and saw he was looking quite calm as well, nudging Jimbei. "H-hey Jimbei, I can't be killed by some Tsunami here! I have to save Ace!"

"Put in the sails! We hold ready and we ride the wave!" Jimbei shouted.

"Huh?! You're not gonna avoid it!? What are you talking about you damn fish-brain!" Buggy shrieked, running towards Jimbei and trying to take the wheel away from him.

"Hey! Would you cut it out!" Jimbei shouted angrily as he wrenched the wheel away from him.

Amethyst reared her arm back and punched Buggy square in the face, sending him tumbling away from them. Panic was starting to take over everyone on the ship and some were even contemplating whether or not jumping ship would be safer.

Crocodile stepped in, utterly annoyed by the panicking and at Buggy for trying to change course. "Are you all complete amateurs? If we recklessly change our course, we will capsize immediately. Jimbei's right there is only one way out of this," he barked

"He is right!" Jimbei shouted after thanking Amethyst for getting rid of Buggy and he declared to everyone on the ship, "Hold on tight or you will be pulled into the wave!"

Luffy cursed as he realised how disastrous things were going but obeyed. The prisoners on board were all quickly running to obey the orders given and then running for cover, grabbing whatever they could. Luffy grabbed Amethyst by the waist and wrapped them around the sail with his arms.

The wave grew bigger and bigger, the noise it made, so great it was deafening, roaring in their ears so that they couldn't hear anything else. With a horrible sucking noise, it began to draw the ship towards the very bottom of the wave and they were forced to hang on for the ride. They went sweeping up the steep curve, most of them now hanging on by their fingers, people were screaming but went unheard as the roaring of the wave drowned them out. Up and up they went, completely at the oceans mercy until finally, they broke through the top and started riding the crest of the wave, miles high up in the sky.

Then they stopped.

It didn't fall back down or get smaller.

It just... stopped.

Luffy unwound himself and let go of Amethyst, then Buggy started screaming at the top of his lungs. "What the hell!? We're trapped in Ice now!"

Everyone looked over the sides and noticed he was right, the whole wave had just frozen.

Crocodile and Amethyst jumped off the ship and glided over to the far edge of the wave and peered over, Crocodile calling the others over to take a look. Amethyst could see all of the horrors that were the war, even from the height she could see that there were hundreds if not thousands of people raging in battle right now. They were swarming at each other on a frozen sea, splotches of red all over the white. Clouds of smoke filling the air mixing with the sounds of weapons, clashing and guns going off. The battlefield was huge and horrifying.

"Listen up everyone! We have to hurry! I have an idea about how we can get past this!" Luffy bellowed, grabbing the attention of everyone there as he now stood on the front part of the ship. "We have less than three hours until Ace is executed!"

"Yeah, So?" Buggy said, not caring.

Then Luffy told them his plan and Amethyst let go the fact that she thought it was crazy, wanting to see how it would fair, if anything went wrong she could prevent it. His idea wasn't that bad.

"You want us to slide the ship down the wave?!" Buggy shouted, looking at him as if he were mental.

Luffy folded his arms in a stubborn stance, "It's our best choice! First off we have to break the ship out of the ice!"

"I can do that," Amethyst said shrugging but Luffy shook his head at her "No, you have to save your energy still!" he said firmly and she just agreed.

"Are you an idiot? This is a battle ship! It's not going to move so easily!" Mr.3 said sceptically.

"That's right! You moron!" Buggy shouted.

Amethyst scowled at them and they stopped arguing, Luffy then carried on, determined as he said that they would be able to do it if they worked together. Everyone around heard his words and the emotion in them and started to look as if they could do it, they started to feel confident, even Buggy and his followers who boasted about Buggy and how if they had him they for sure could do it.

The Transponder from before started ringing and then started to speak as everyone listened to it intently, it started to talk but they couldn't understand as it was talking code but then continued.

"Make haste the preparations. Once the preparations are complete, we will push the schedule forward and execute Ace, over!"

Luffy's eyes were wide with fear and he started breathing heavily, Amethyst, on the other hand, was pissed off and she shouted out to Luffy "Sorry Lu! I need to do this quickly!" And instead of arguing he nodded his head.

Her eyes turned crimson and she reached out both hands bringing them up and then forcing them down... hard and a loud crack was heard all around, the ice all around breaking like glass but what they didn't anticipate was falling... over the wrong side. She cursed as they fell through the air, she made a quick hand gesture and the mast of the ship broke off and headed towards her and she stood on it.

"I KNEW YOU WOULD OVERDO IT!" Buggy screamed in terror as tears burst from his eyes, flailing around.

Everyone started to blame her and Luffy shut them up straight away "Who cares!? We're going to die! The sea beneath us is frozen solid!" He shouted, then remembered something, "Oh wait I'm made of rubber so I'll be fine,"

Amethyst would've laughed but given the situation didn't. She quickly made another hand gesture and stopped them all in midair, just metres away from hitting the ice for a few seconds, the ship still making an impact and sending a huge splash of water in the air. She was holding everyone in the air and was holding herself up by using the mast as a platform.

"EVERYONE OKAY!?" she shouted out and the crying stopped and people started to shout at her again for not doing this sooner.

Luffy cut through the complaints and shouted at the top of his lungs, "ACCCCCCCEEEEE!" as he scanned the battlefield to try and find him from his spot in the air.

Amethyst placed them gently on the ship and the frozen water and looked up from where she stayed floating on the mast, trying desperately to figure out where Ace was, Luffy doing the same. The full scale of the war then hit her as she looked around... it was filled with death and destruction, marines and pirates were fighting to the death just below her, bodies all over the ground, blood scattered everywhere as people were shot, blown up or sliced to pieces. It was Horrific. She felt blood starting to drip from her nose and wiped it away quickly.

She turned and looked around, her eyes then landing on Whitebeard... he was standing on the head of the ship, standing there in all his glory and she almost burst into tears just seeing him, she missed him a lot and she then made a choice and clicked her fingers, becoming invisible.

"Where are you Ace!?" Luffy questioned as he whipped around trying to scan the area for him, dodging marines as he moved around the ship to get a look at every side. He shouted in frustration at the Marines who continued to go after him and took care of all of them with one punch.

He looked forward and stood up, squinting and then took a sharp intake of breath, _there he was_. Standing at the top of the execution platform just passed a wall, were three people but there was one, in particular, one right in the middle, kneeling on the ground. He stared as he tried to register that he was finally here, that he could finally see him.

"Ace..." he whispered and then he smiled. "Am! It's Ace!" he shouted out to her, still looking towards the man.

Amethyst tore her gaze away from Whitebeard and looked to Luffy who was pointing in a direction and she looked quickly and saw what he was talking about.

And then she did let her tears fall, she was crying in relief and exhaustion, he was there and he was alive, she could tell that he was staring at Luffy, Luffy staring back at him as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "AAAAAAAAACCCCCEEEEEEEE!"

She heard Ace shout back, calling Luffy's name and she smiled tenderly at the exchange. She then snapped her attention to someone as they spoke directly to Jimbei. She recognised him as Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral.

"Of all things you could've done, you joined forces with Straw Hat Luffy! So, I see that this is your answer Jimbei?!"

"That's right!" Jimbei proclaimed proudly, "I quit being a Warlord!"

Amethyst grinned, she then noticed Crocodile had turned into a cloud of sand and he was heading straight for the Moby Dick, his hook held high to strike at Whitebeard. She went to stop him when she saw Luffy had stopped the attack, faster than ever, he had shifted into second gear.

Amethyst floated over and jumped off the mast she was on and landed beside Crocodile, as he spoke of honouring his agreement to help them get here.

"So this Old Man really is Whitebeard? Then don't touch him! Ace and Am like this old guy!" Luffy demanded firmly.

Amethyst grinned, "Well, would you lookie here Croc, it seems someone couldn't even get past my little brother, pathetic," she whispered into Crocodiles ear, so that only he could hear, walking to stand next to Luffy afterwards.

Several Whitebeard pirates suddenly ran from the lower part of the deck and were holding Crocodile back with a few swords, yelling at the others to make sure he didn't get close to the old man.

Amethyst felt herself feel nervous suddenly and decided not to address Whitebeard, instead, she looked at Luffy.

"Thanks, Lu," she whispered and ruffled his hair, smiling lightly at him and he just grinned back, they both then turned serious as they looked out to the battlefield.

"Amethyst..."

She flinched at the voice, had he heard her? She turned around and saw him not looking directly at her but seemed to know she was there. "We'll talk about it later, right now we have some other moron to worry about," she said, still invisible.

She saw Whitebeard grin and then turn to the boy "Kid," he grunted, "That Straw Hat of yours... it looks a lot like the one Red-Hair used to always wear."

Amethyst laughed in amusement and Luffy turned and looked up at him. "You know Shanks, old man?" he asked, before looking over his shoulder at his trademark Straw-hat, "I'm hanging onto it for him."

Whitebeard seemed to be sizing him up, trying to guess what his strength was, what he was capable of. "Have you come to save your brother?" he asked.

"Yes," Luffy said without hesitation. Amethyst could feel the mood tense slightly as the two stared each other in the eye.

"Do you have any idea what you're up against!?" Whitebeard demanded, He then raised his Colossal Bisento that he held in his hands and slammed it down on the ship's deck with so much force that the entire place shook around them. "Someone like you doesn't have a chance."

Amethyst's voice then rang out "Pops! he's a lot more capable than you think"

"YEAH! SO JUST SHUT UP! THAT'S NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE!" Luffy shouted defiantly, forehead furrowing in aggravation. "I already know about you! You want to be King of the Pirates, right?!" Luffy demanded, "I'M THE ONE WHO'S GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

Amethyst had to use her hand to cover up her laughter as the two males had a stare down. It was all quite amusing. To her at least.

His declaration shocked everyone there that was in ear-shot, Marines and pirates all over were frozen and completely forgetting about the fact they were supposed to be killing each other, they were just so taken back by the guts of the kid who just shouted at the World's Strongest Man.

Amethyst watched as Whitebeard looked calm, though he was glaring down at Luffy as Luffy glared up at him. Both of them seemed to be trying to analyse and see what the other is capable of. When Luffy didn't appear intimidated, Whitebeard raised his weapon and spun it around in his hand, creating a whirlwind that would've blown anyone off to the other end of the battlefield. Then he slammed it right back onto the deck, the shockwave enough to knock over a few weaker fighters below them.

But Amethyst watched proudly as Luffy stood his ground, refusing to run away. Whitebeard then grinned. "You're pretty damn cheeky aren't you? Don't think I'll spare you if you slow us down here ya little brat," he said.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want! Am and I are going to save Ace!" Luffy snapped, glaring forward as well.

Amethyst spoke up then, grinning, "He's cute, huh? Po- Whitebeard," she said, cutting herself off just in case. Whitebeard just continued to grin and respond back gruffly, "You are still my daughter, if you would like to refer to me as your father then you can... And the boy... He's a brat"

She smiled a little and nodded to herself.

Luffy looked ready to run in and Amethyst was going to follow behind when he suddenly seemed to stop and realise something and held himself back for a moment. "Hey, Old man," he said.

"Yeah?" Whitebeard asked, uninterested.

"There's something you should know, We heard a message on the warship a minute ago," Luffy told him as he then informed Whitebeard of what they overheard about moving Ace's execution forward, Amethyst confirming it. Whitebeard didn't seem surprised "They're moving up the time of the execution? You are sure that's what they said?"

"He's sure Pops, I was there," Amethyst said, reassuring.

Whitebeard looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face as he stated, "I see. That is rather important news to know." He then added casually, "Sorry about before."

"Don't worry about it," Luffy answered back coolly.

More shouts of shock were heard as people were confused as to why they were suddenly having such a friendly chat as if they were equals.

"Ooh, he's growing on you isn't he?" Amethyst teased, it was a tad strange as she still hadn't revealed herself, like a ghost speaking.

Whitebeard huffed "He's still a brat."

Amethyst's voice rang out loudly, "Right! Later Pops, Luffy and I are going onwards!"

And without a moment's hesitation, they jumped down, hitting the ice hard before they took off running, not fazed at all by the Marines that came charging after Luffy as they couldn't see Amethyst.

"Gum Gum... BAZOOKA!" Luffy hollered, his attack hitting the ground below them and sending them all flying off as if they were nothing hard. "OUTTA OUR WAY!" Luffy screamed as they both continued running forward. Everything after that seemed to be happening fast. Marines went running after him as Jimbei, Ivankov, Bon Clay and the rest of the New Kama's joined the fight.

It was like the actions of Luffy seemed to be infecting all the pirates around and started pushing back Marines harder and faster, fighting more intensely.

They were carving through and when they saw a highly unwelcome presence in front of them, shining brightly.

"It's you! From Sabaody!" Luffy shouted, looking at the person in shock and distaste.

Kizaru looked extremely bored here as if he could be doing more important things than being here at that moment as he stated, "The Celestial Dragons will never let me hear the end of it if I let you escape again." And they saw what was coming as he raised his leg and prepared to kick. "Straw Hat Luffy!"

But before he could do anything, Amethyst made herself appear, much to his surprise and she grinned at him and shouted, "Well, tell the Celestials that they can shove it!" her eyes turned white and she made a hand gesture, sending Kizaru flying through the air and hitting a wall of Ice then hiding herself again before she could bring too much attention to the fact that she was there.

"Amethyst, I didn't realise you had joined us, I thought you would have stayed back with Whitebeard," Ivankov said, glad that she didn't have to interfere.

Amethyst just shook her head, "And leave all the fun to you guys? No way," she responded.

"Quite high-spirited considering the situation," Jimbei said sceptically.

"Yeah, well I can see his face and he seems to think he's going to die today, can't keep him thinking that can we, Lu?" she asked and Luffy nodded, determination shining in his eyes as they kept running.

Suddenly another light attack came at them and they just barely dodged it, now separated, leaving Amethyst, Luffy and Ivankov as a running trio.

"I thought I took care of that guy," Amethyst said in shock, breathing heavily.

But as they looked up to who had attacked them, it wasn't Kizaru as they first initially thought, The large form of Kuma had joined the attack.

"Dammit, control your friend Iva!" Amethyst shouted, earning a look of surprise from Ivankov who realised that she knew of their connection but soon shook it off, turning his attention back to Kuma.

"It's him!" Luffy cried out in anger, "That bear guy who sent us flying!"

"KUMA!" Ivankov shouted in surprise. "Bartholomew Kuma! you... HERE I COME!" Ivankov shouted, pointing a shaky finger at him in a threatening gesture.

Kuma only fired another laser at him, ignoring the warning, and this time, Ivankov was shocked when a large chunk of his afro had been blasted right off.

"Iva!" Luffy cried out in worry.

"Iva! I can take care of him if you want!" Amethyst called out, still hesitant as she didn't know whether or not she should.

Ivankov kept his eyes on Kuma and barked, "Don't worry about me! Leave him to me and just go on ahead!"

"Okay!" They both called out in understanding before running ahead and heading straight to Ace. But it didn't take long for them to run into more people as two more people tried to stop them.

One of them threw two chakram blades at Luffy like frisbees and he managed to dodge them, Amethyst ducking as it came at her as well, the other then came charging and threw a punch at Luffy but missed completely. Causing the both of them to stop running.

"How unlucky for you to bump into us!" The one with iron knuckles declared, his fist held high.

The other who threw the blades then caught them, spinning them expertly in his hands, as they came back to him and shouting, "Straw Hat! This is where it ends for you!"

"Huh? Do I know you guys?" Luffy said looking at them in confusion.

"It's Fullbody!" The one with iron knuckles shouted, "And I still plan to make you pay for what happened at the Baratie!"

"Oh, wait," Luffy said finally recognising the man, "You're the guy that got his ass kicked by Sanji!"

Amethyst laughed "Wow, you got beaten by curly brow?" she said amused at the thought.

Fullbody looked around frantically and tried to find the source of the sudden voice but to no avail. He then looked back to Luffy, eye twitching in irritation as if he remembered the memories that haunted him.

The other guy stepped in, holding up his rings as he asked, "Don't tell me you forgot who I was?"

"Right, you're that hypnotist guy from Usopp's village, Why are you here?" Luffy questioned darkly.

The man started swinging both Chakrams from his fingers as he bragged, "Thanks to the Marines, I finally perfected my Jango Hypnotism!"

He began to swing the rings back and forth, and already, Luffy's eyes seemed to be drawn to them, watching them swing. "Two Chakrams are twice as one! One, two Jango you will fall asleep!"

"One... Two..." The man counted off but before he could finish Amethyst sighed and flicked Luffy in the head, drawing his attention away instantly, just as the man said 'Jango'

And then as they both turned back to the two morons they suddenly dropped to the ground and were fast asleep, snoring even as the sounds of the war rung out.

"Seriously Lu, did you only face losers before now?" Amethyst questioned, annoyed at the fact that all the people they faced that knew Luffy were complete weaklings, with the exception of Bon Clay and Crocodile.

"What are you two doing?" A voice suddenly interrupted. The voice belonged to a tall, slim woman with long pink hair. She stepped forward, a cigarette in her mouth. "Hina, disappointed," she sighed to herself.

"You! You attacked us back in Alabasta!" Luffy looked furious as he muttered, "But we can't waste any more time on you guys! AM!" Luffy shouted as he started to run, changing into second gear as the lady built a cage around him and her.

Amethyst understood and with a flick of her wrist the lady was lifted and slammed into the ice behind them, taking the cage with her.

They continued running again and Amethyst looked at him worried, she wasn't sure of how second gear worked but she didn't feel like it was all that good for his body. They didn't get far though as another marine came running at Luffy trying to take him out with a club. Amethyst watched as Luffy tried throwing a punch at the guy only for him to block it with his club, sending him back a bit and another marine snuck up from behind but Luffy sensed it and dodged him, taking out several marines as he did so.

Luffy steadied himself, calling out for Amethyst who answered back, still there and they went running off again but as they were persistent, the marines started to run at him again but Luffy had speed on his side and dodged and outran most of them.

And then they both came to see a familiar face.

"Straw Hat!" A screechy voice called out.

Gecko Moria waddled towards them, looking almost just like how he was when they first met him but now having a fur coat on and a bandage around his head. He cackled to himself and called his zombie minions out to 'play', the ground breaking as Zombies burst out and ordering them to capture Luffy.

Amethyst made a hand gesture and the zombies flew over behind them, there were so many and marines started to take the opportunity to attack him as well, Amethyst and Luffy kept running forward, carving through them, Luffy punching and kicking and Amethyst using her ability to send them elsewhere. It was starting to become a bit difficult to keep moving as the sheer size of enemies coming at them kept growing. Amethyst saw Luffy starting to get cut and she turned her eyes from white to red, making a large movement that had her coughing blood and set them all on fire, eyes turning back to white.

"WHAT!? How did you do that Straw Hat!?" Moria screeched before making more zombies appear and more marines appeared, then suddenly a voice rang out.

"STAY AWAY LUFFY!"

Luffy and Amethyst looked up after taking out more enemies and saw that the voice belonged to none other than the man they were trying to save. He looked furious, a tormented expression on his face, he looked like he was fighting tears. "You and I are both pirates! You know that! Which means you should be out there sailing however you want! I have my own adventures and my own crew! You have no right to interfere!" He yelled.

"You think I want some weakling to save me?!" Ace went on, choking up as he spoke, "This is humiliating! Go away, Luffy! Why are you even here!?"

Ace looked down, seeming to be unable to carry on though he wanted to continue, he was feeling such pain seeing his crew being slaughtered, fighting for him and getting injured, but seeing Luffy? It was a whole new level of pain that he didn't want to have to deal with.

Amethyst shook her head as she ran beside Luffy who seemed unfazed by the words and she muttered under her breath, "What a moron. Like that's gonna work." she understood what he was trying to do.

Amethyst and Luffy kept running forwards not stopping and Luffy not listening to his words as they ran even harder towards the execution platform.

"I'M..." Luffy exclaimed for a moment, getting Ace's attention and they locked eyes and Luffy shouted out to the entire world, without any hesitation or shame, making Amethyst grin from ear to ear, "YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!"

And so it was all out. The declaration was enough to startle marines all around them, with all of them lost and questioning how it was possible that he could be Gold Rogers son as well. Amethyst watched Ace's reaction and felt something in her chest ache as she saw the look on his face, she knew it was eating him up inside to have to be forced to watch all of this... she could only imagine.

"And I'm a pirate too! I don't listen to rules! Who cares!?" Luffy shouted.

"Don't you get it!?" Ace shouted back in frustration that he wouldn't just leave.

Amethyst sighed, she knew he didn't want Luffy to be dragged down with him, he was trying to drive him away and she was sure Luffy knew that too.

They came to a stop as they got ready to fight another round of Zombies when a giant wave of water came rising up out of the blue and struck all the zombies, shadows escaping from inside each one.

"Jimbei!" Amethyst shouted happily, she forgot about the whole salt weakness and was thankful that Jimbei could now take over, Moria couldn't be facing a worse enemy.

Luffy also shouted his name, smiling when he saw who had saved them from fighting more. "You both go, I'll take care of the Zombies," Jimbei said referring to both of them confusing Moria as he only saw Luffy.

"Alright! I'll leave it to you!" Luffy said.

Now with Moria gone they could make more headway, they began to run again only to be stopped... again. This time a giant came running at them trying to challenge Luffy "OUT OF MY WAY! I'LL FINISH HIM OFF" he roared as he pushed through marines around his feet, Amethyst stepped in before he could try something and lifted the giant in the air, sending him flying backwards. Everyone seeing it, looking at Luffy and Jimbei as if they had done something so quickly that they failed to see it. Luffy and Amethyst just kept running.

"What are you all doing!? Don't let that rookie take control of the war like this!" Sengoku suddenly called through a Transponder snail, his voice amplified so that it rang out across the battle field. "That man will become a dangerous enemy in the future! He was raised with his sworn brother Ace!" Sengoku went on as he declared, "But his actual bloodline makes him the son of none other than the Revolutionary Dragon!"

Amethyst glared at the fleet admiral and muttered under her breath, "Who gives a flying fuck."

All the marines around them were all letting out cries of astonishment and shock but not only them, Pirates, including Whitebeard and the Warlords also seemed startled at the information.

They ignored it and kept running towards the execution platform as fast as they could but Luffy didn't seem done with shouting to Ace. "ACE!" Luffy screamed. "Say whatever the hell you want!" he declared, a mad gleam in his eye, "I'M SAVING YOU EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"

Cheers erupted from the Whitebeard Pirates, all agreeing with Luffy completely. Amethyst looked at Luffy and grinned as she remembered something that Ace had told her.

* * *

 _"He's a little slow and he doesn't always think things through... But he's yours, once you have him and he'll give you absolutely everything"._

* * *

She seemed to agree with that sentiment as she hung around him more and she thanked whatever god or deity there might be that she had someone like him as a little brother.

She heard a familiar voice from behind her and turned as she ran, seeing Jozu, looking at Luffy with a smirk, he looked impressed, like he admired Luffy, it wasn't surprising, once you're with Luffy for a short amount of time, he tends to do that.

She turned back around and cheers were still going on as more Whitebeard Pirates shouted in agreement with Luffy.

She then heard another familiar voice and smiled to herself as she heard Whitebeard say to Marco that he wouldn't forgive him if he let Luffy die. 'I knew that Old Geezer warmed up to Luffy' She thought to herself in amusement and felt happy to hear Marco's voice, she missed the protective mother-hen.

New Kama's started surrounding them, Amethyst making herself known by saying something as they started getting too close for comfort. They were praising Amethyst for taking down the giant as they finally understood why he spontaneously went flying. They then went on to tell them that they were attracting too much attention.

Suddenly several hundred marines had them all surrounded, Sengoku's voice ringing out, ordering them not to let Luffy take control of things and to not let them gain any more headway towards the platform. But the New Kama's were strong and they fought without trouble even as they were hopelessly outnumbered. Whitebeard pirates then also started to join in and help fight the many marines, it was all a blur of swords clashing with flesh or steel, cries and screams of pain echoing out through the air. Amethyst squeezed her eyes shut as a memory came flashing back to her.

* * *

 _She bit her lip to keep the screams from slipping out as it came slashing down on her back, tears gathering in her eyes as she watched the slaves in front of her, watching her in fear and anticipation, sending her silent apologies._

 _"Was that a noise I heard, slave?" A man's voice cuts in._

 _She shook her head violently and scrunched her eyes shut as the man continued to slash at her back with the whip that had a blade attached to it. She could hear the blood falling and hitting the floor as it was forced out of her back. She felt blood drip down her chin as she bit her lip hard enough for it to rip painfully._

 _She then felt him stop and relaxed a tad only for him to stab the bladed tongue into her shoulder, catching her off guard and letting out a gasp of pain. Her eyes shot open, wide and full of regret, she looked at the man and shook her head, pleading with her eyes for him to not do it._

 _"That... was a sound," he said._

 _And she watched as he grabbed a sword, walking slowly towards the slaves in front of her, their screams echoing throughout the room as blood splattered the walls and she looked to a little boy who was crying, he locked eyes with her... his scream ringing the loudest._

* * *

Amethyst snapped out of it as she felt a bullet hit her in the arm and her ability dropped for a couple seconds before she recovered it, taking out all the marines that had seen her and ignoring the looks of confusion from the pirates who were questioning if they did or not.

A cry of anger was heard and she turned her head to see a marine angrily trying to swing a blunt mace at Luffy who caught it with his stomach and bounced it right off before ramming his fist in his face, knocking him out.

Marines started to scream to get him already and she saw a sword coming down on him, flicking her wrist and sending the blade flying, it still cutting the tips of Luffy's hair just a tad. Luffy was being forced to jump back as he continued to be bombarded with attacks, Amethyst snapping one marines neck as his sword slashed at Luffy's stomach.

"Move it! I'm going to save Ace!" Luffy yelled, barreling forward, Amethyst right beside him. Cannons started flying at them, some hitting New Kama's but Luffy used his Gum Gum balloon and sent the remaining back and hit the cannons, destroying them.

They both kept fighting, Amethyst even using physical strength to start fighting, Luffy punching and kicking his way through, there were just so many of them. But luck was on their side.

"DEATH WINK!"

Ivankov came from the sky and took out a line of marines, Luffy getting an idea as he saw that. "Iva! We need to make a straight path to Ace!"

Luffy looked around and spotted Jimbei who had just taken out a few marines, he cried out his name and Jimbei turned his attention to him, they looked at each other and a sort of understanding was passed between them, no words being said as Jimbei nodded firmly.

All three of them lined up side-by-side as the largest wave of marines yet came charging right at them in an enormous hoard.

"Fishman Karate..." Jimbei began, holding up his fists.

"Death..." Ivankov began, opening an eye as far as he could make it, Luffy stretching his arms behind him.

"Gum Gum..."

"5000 True Tile FIST!"

"WINK!"

"BAZOOKA!"

The blast combined was enough to cause a sort of explosion. A relentless blast of energy and the wind so great that it blew the marines in front of them around as if they were leaves in the wind. And there was a clear path made. Amethyst was impressed and then laughed as she saw Ivankov grab a 'flying' marine by his crotch and hold him like some flag.

And they ran forward, Luffy screaming Ace's name as he ran. They had to hurry and make it fast before the marines got back up, they weren't the normal weak ones that they've come across. But that soon became the least of their worries as Moria reappeared in front of them. "You won't get past me, Straw Hat!" he cried out sinisterly.

Luffy glared up at him, ready to fight when Jimbei stepped in "Fight me Moria!" he shouted. Amethyst thanked Jimbei again and grabbed Luffy by the arm, startling him a bit before he realised who it was. And they ran forward, Luffy thanking Jimbei as they continued on, passing Moria.

A few New Kamas had formed a wall around them, knocking out and taking on stray marines as Ivankov stayed by Luffy and Amethyst's sides and kicking out as many men that they could.

Something came out of nowhere and slammed into Luffy with such force that he was sent flying through the air. Amethyst who didn't see it coming immediately ran after him, speeding to get to him before she was too late and he got seriously hurt.

Luffy looked up from where he was and didn't react in time when a thick cloud of smoke slammed into his stomach, causing blood to burst from his mouth and he rolled away painfully. As he regained his footing the cloud of smoke started forming into a solid form.

"That hurt!" Luffy cried out in bewilderment that something actually hurt his rubber body. When he looked up, he saw who it was, his eyes widening in recognition and understanding "You're... Smokey!"

Amethyst and Ivankov who had also run after Luffy was half way there when a blast came out of nowhere, hitting near them, Kuma had sent a laser beam and had now stepped up to fight. Amethyst brushed herself off and steadied her footing, starting to run for Luffy again, leaving Ivankov to handle her 'friend'.

She saw the man in front of Luffy holding out a jutte at him and thought it weird that Luffy looked oddly anxious as he stared at it. She saw as Luffy used a technique that only went straight through the man's body and she then realised who it was... she didn't know he was in the Grandline though.

She saw a woman try and charge in and she sent her sword flying, watching in Amusement as she chased after it.

She turned her attention back to Luffy only to see him still trying to attack and failing, she cursed Logia fruit users for being difficult to handle and kept running towards him. She then saw that Smoker had pressed his jutte into Luffy's throat and pinned him to the ground. His second gear that he had changed into dropping immediately and she finally understood what it was. She stuck her hand out and went to fling it away when a voice rang out.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HIM!"

A high-heeled purple shoe came out of nowhere and kicked Smoker so hard that he was flung backwards, away from Luffy.

"Hancock!" Amethyst shouted in relief and happiness to see the woman. She saw the look on her face and silently sent a prayer to Smoker. Her face was one of pure fury, eyes wide and pupils dilated. If looks could kill, that one would kill them twice over. Her entire body seemed to be shaking, rage rolling off of her body.

Amethyst caught up, now standing next to Luffy and patting his head to show him that he was there, she saw him nod a little.

Everyone there was in shock, some as to how she was able to touch him and others as to why she protected Luffy. Hancock didn't seem to care about the consequences and stood in front of Luffy, protecting him.

"Hancock!" Smoker barked, standing up and pointing his Jutte at her, accusingly. "What are you playing at!? Do you intend to revoke your title as Warlord!?"

"SILENCE!" She roared out, "I am so furious right now! That I do not care what you say here! But how dare you attack my beloved!?"

Luffy rolled over, trying to catch his breath and Amethyst took the time to also catch her breath, she was tired and hadn't stopped using her ability.

"I won't let you leave alive! I have never been so angry! I will tear you to pieces and feed you to beasts!" Hancock continued to rant.

Smoker seemed to be trying to figure something out, ignoring the outburst and coming to a realisation as he mentioned the Haki of the Kuja tribe.

Luffy finally was breathing normally and looked up, seeing Hancock, his face breaking into a smile as he spotted her. "Hancock!" He cried out happily.

Amethyst smiled as she saw Her turn around to him, face completely changed, eyes twinkling and a blush tinting her cheeks as she exclaimed that he said her name again like it was some kind of reward.

Marines started to call out again, voicing their confusion and shock as to why Hancock had defended Luffy.

Hancock then stared long and hard at Luffy and Amethyst saw her form her hands into a heart shape, not knowing what she was doing and then heard her exclaim her faith that he would make it there, then dropping her hand formation. She then reached down the front of her dress and pulled something out, bending over to show him.

"Take this, this is the key to your brother's cuffs," she said handing a key to him and Amethyst's eyes widened. She knew that if she got there that she could use her ability to unlock it but if somehow she couldn't make it, she was glad that Luffy had a way.

Luffy's jaw fell open and he stared at it, marines all around gasping as if he had just been dealt a deadly blow from the Pirate Empress.

"Hancock!" Luffy said, snapping out of his stupor and staring at her with a look of wonder. Hancock almost jumped back when Luffy reached forward and took a hold of her hand in his as he got the key, staring at it joyfully as she blushed even redder than before and mumbled incoherently about his hand touching hers.

Luffy held the key tightly and whispered, "Hancock..." And suddenly he jumped up with a cry of happiness, and for a second he was his old self again before he hugged her tightly. "You're... you're...!" he just couldn't seem to find the words to tell her how much this meant to him.

She froze, her hands twitching and she was letting out tiny squeals and gasps as if she was about to have a heart attack. The marines behind them were all freaking out, wondering what was going on.

"Thanks a lot!" Luffy cried out, "I really owe you one!"

"It's... It's alright..." Hancock stuttered, her face redder than ever and looking like she didn't know what to do. "Do not worry about it... you have to keep going Luffy."

Luffy blinked, suddenly remembering the situation they were in. "Oh, yeah!" he cried out as he let go of her and hit the ice running, Amethyst close behind, but he made sure to holler back, "THANKS!"

Hancock was mumbling under her breath about his embrace and marriage, falling to the ground dramatically, breathing hard and trying to gather herself. She was lost in a sort of daydream, Yet she snapped right out of it when Smoker's voice cut through and he started to advance at Luffy again.

Amethyst grinned as she looked back and saw Hancock protecting Luffy from Smoker. "We owe her big time Lu," she said suddenly and he nodded firmly, squeezing the key tightly in his hand as he muttered, "I'm really grateful for this!"

They were starting to near the wall now and even though Ace was in their sights, they had never seen a place so close yet seem so far away. Luffy's eyes glinted with a new determination as they both ran faster than ever. "Wait for me, Ace!"

But as they both ran, Luffy shoving the key safely into his pocket and punching every marine that got in their way, they ended up coming across a couple of unwelcome visitors.

Ivankov was already there to confront the two, one being Kuma and the other, Amethyst recognised as one of the Warlords, Doflamingo. He walked with an odd bow-legged waddle as he stood next to Kuma and seemed to be greatly amused by seeing their interaction with him and Ivankov.

"Iva!" Luffy shouted out, he stared at Kuma and shouted warnings to Ivankov about what he could do. "It's that bear guy again! You gotta be careful Iva! He can blast you away!"

But Iva didn't even look at him as he answered, "I'll be fine." He spoke in a different kind of voice this time, however, instead of his usual teasing and confident tone, it was calm, bordering on intense. "Now, Kuma! Move!"

Luffy was surprised seeing how he addressed him and came to abrupt stop and stood next to Ivankov, Amethyst also following suit. As for Kuma, he didn't react at all, as if nothing was happening around him.

"Iva?" Luffy asked him, "You mean you know him?"

"Yes," Iva admitted, eyes narrowing. "But something's wrong, he's not himself."

Doflamingo started to chuckle at the pair of them as he seemed to know something that they didn't. "It seems that both of you know Kuma. But the Kuma that you once knew..." he then pointed at the Warlord next to him. "And this Kuma are two different people!"

Luffy looked utterly confused as he stared at him. "Different people?" he asked, "What's he talking about?"

"No!" Ivankov shouted stubbornly. "That's not possible! This is, without a doubt, the man who ate the Paw-Paw fruit!" He then looked furiously at Kuma and demanded with real anger this time, "He's Kuma!... Kuma, answer me!"

But Kuma just looked at her with empty eyes, no glint of recognition at all. Like a corpse staring back at them, there was nothing and nobody there... just blank.

Ivankov seemed to be growing more and more aggravated as the one-sided conversation lurked on. "This is so irritating!" he snarled before adding, "But, then again, he always was a man of few words..."

Doflamingo then went on, a sadistic grin slapped on his face as he explained why Kuma was acting the way that he was and what had happened to him, how he was experimented and modified to become the perfect human weapon.

Ivankov shouted at him, voicing his disbelief.

Doflamingo then went on to go into more detail, explaining exactly what the changes were, enjoying the reaction he was getting out of Ivankov.

"Don't lie to me!" Ivankov shouted, refusing to believe anything that he heard. "Kuma hates the world government! He'd never offer up his own life like that!"

"Well," Doflamingo continued as he barely glanced back at them as he walked away. "Can't say for sure what kind of deal, this guy made with the government. And there was still some human left him in up till a few days ago...?" And he them plopped himself on a pile of pirates that were either dead or unconscious, going on to reveal that he was now a Pascifista, PX-0.

No sooner had he finished speaking, Kuma opened his mouth, the beeping sound of his laser starting up and they were momentarily blinded by a light. Panicking, Luffy, Amethyst and Ivankov were both forced to dodge, barely avoiding the blast as Doflamingo's laughter echoed on.

All three got up from where they had fallen, Ivankov marching towards Kuma in a angry rage of questions when he suddenly disappeared, and they were all staring around in shock, trying to figure out where he went. And then they heard screams coming from behind, a short distance away and they turned to see Kuma had reappeared amongst a group of New Kama, pulling his gloves off.

"Be careful guys!" Luffy screamed out in warning, "He's dangerous!"

But his cry came too late as with a single sweep of his hand, he blasted everyone around him far back. All landing harshly, wheezing and nursing wounds.

Ivankov then shouted, now charging furiously at Kuma. And suddenly his head seemed to split into countless others, surrounding Kuma so that he couldn't even recognise which was the real one. Iva then crying out an attack and sending blasts from everywhere, hitting Kuma with such force that he was sent flying back and ended up crashing into a mound of ice. Iva then landing on his feet, face briefly torn in guilt.

Iva was now shaking in fury as Kuma lifted his head to look at him, sending attack after attack, continuously pushing Kuma back and then he shouted.

"This is the first time anyone I have met..." he said before he began stamping his foot as he chanted, "Forgotten... Forgotten... Forgotten... FORGOTTEN MY FACE!"

Amethyst who was watching rolled her eyes at the exclamation, thinking to herself, 'Of course, _that's_ what he's mad about'

Luffy and Amethyst watched the two fight and weren't the least bit happy about it as Ivankov shouted to the New Kama's that were there to leave him and support Luffy and Amethyst. Luffy was about to go and help our Ivankov when one of the New Kama's clapped a hand on his shoulder and told him to go. Bon Clay refusing to leave Ivankov and staying behind to help.

Luffy looked at the New Kama and started to nod in understanding before he called out to Ivankov and thanked him before they went sprinting off. Amethyst and Luffy now had a wall of New Kama surrounding them and made a mad dash towards the execution platform, trying to make up for lost time. The New Kama's took out most of the marines themselves and Luffy and Amethyst just kept sprinting forward but then another person showed up.

Up ahead, there was a large thick cloud of smoke, but through it shone the slashing blades of light and a large group of New Kama's were knocked back with deep wounds.

Amethyst looked to the person and her eyes widened, it was Hawk Eye, the Greatest Swordsman in the World. She knew of him, heard ruthless rumours, but there was something in his eyes and he didn't seem like the worst guy. Luffy's eyes widened as well and she saw a flash of recognition and fear in them, she knew they didn't have time for this, Luffy wouldn't be able to beat this guy.

"I don't have time to fight someone as strong as him! Am! Can you do something!"

She nodded and her eyes turned red, she silently apologized to Vista and all the swordsman that she knew and made a hand gesture, the large obsidian sword shattering to pieces. She even went as far to apologise to the man in front of her by bowing a little even though he couldn't see it.

Her and Luffy started to run again, her trailing behind Luffy when she felt something pierce into her back, she jerked around, and her ability dropped, she saw Hawk Eye, looking surprised as he was aiming for Luffy, holding a small dagger in his hand. She glared, eyes turning red again and flicked the dagger away and forced him flying backwards.

She disappeared again and ran to keep up with Luffy who hadn't noticed the ordeal. She caught up to him and kept running, she noticed that people had started to gather around them and shout encouragement to Luffy to keep going.

Onward their group ran, hoping things would simmer down and they wouldn't have to face any more warlords but then Amethyst noticed something that made things even worse.

Two executioners had just stepped up on the platform, their swords in hand and once the Whitebeard pirates saw them they started scrambling to get into the plaza as the situation turned from serious to desperate.

"NO! They're really going to execute Ace early!" Luffy cried out in terror as the executioners had their swords at Ace's neck.

Amethyst put on a burst of speed, running harder than ever as did Luffy.

Explosions were heard from behind but they didn't have time to worry about that as they kept running as fast as they could, when Kizaru popped up out of nowhere and before Amethyst could react he had kicked Luffy and sent him flying backwards, she ignored the urge to kick the Admirals ass and turned tail, running for Luffy, seeing Jimbei already there to help him out. She cursed herself, she was doing a horrible job at keeping him safe.

She caught up to them and leaned down to Luffy, hand on his head. "Lu? You okay?"

He hissed in pain, trying to recover from the attack "Dammit... that Admiral"

Jimbei looked ready to fight as Kizaru floated there, smirking down at them. "You always knew that strong enemies would stand in your way, And yet you still came," Jimbei said calmly.

Amethyst noticed that Luffy was shaking a little from fatigue and she knew that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, he was starting to feel the real condition of his body. Her head snapped up when she heard a voice "Die Dragon's son" She turned her eyes red but before she could do anything a shot rang out and the man that was holding a gun to Luffy's head was now laying on the ice with blood pouring from the wound.

Amethyst looked back and was pleasantly surprised to see some of the commanders that she had come to be close to.

Izou walked up to them and glanced at Luffy "Ace's brother, has your stamina run out?" he taunted and Amethyst felt her eye twitch, she knew what he was trying to do, trying to make him angry enough to get back on his feet, but she didn't have to like it.

"Oh, it's the commanders! That makes things easier for us!" Jimbei stated confidently.

Izou went on to taunt Luffy, "You can't let one admiral stop you. Follow us!"

Amethyst made herself appear, now angry "You don't have to be an asshole about it Izou," she growled, glaring at him.

All the commanders who had made a wall around Luffy snapped their heads to the appearing girl. "Amethyst!?" they all exclaimed in shock.

She rolled her eyes at them, even though her heart was hammering happily against her chest. "Yes, it's me you lot of morons, now get back to fighting while I help my own brother in a less asshole of a way," she sneered at them and they looked at her, surprised that she was there, surprised at the whole brother comment and her not reacting at all how they thought she would when they saw her again.

But they listened and turned ready to fight when something happened that took their attention away from the impending crash.

Everyone looked to see two people standing on the head of the Moby Dick, there was a man with light pink wavy hair that flowed down his back, but what they were staring at was what was in the man's hands... a long sword that had just been impaled right into Whitebeards chest. Amethyst's eyes widened, hand flying to her mouth.

"Pops..." she whispered.

"Old timer..." Luffy whispered in shock from next to her, Jimbei and the other commanders staring in shock and horror, as if still trying to register if that really was happening at this moment.

A growl emitted from Amethyst. " _I'll kill him_ " Her eyes turned crimson but as she was about to try and get there she saw Marco fly over, blue flames licking his body in the form of a bird bolting right at the man, before slamming his face right into the deck.

Whitebeard fell over then fell to his knees, clutching his wound. Amethyst couldn't make out what they were saying, but she didn't care and she knelt down, catching the attention of a few people and turned herself invisible again. Her eyes glowing red as she touched the ice with both hands. And everyone could see a gold stream of light spread through the battlefield and stretch far until it reached Whitebeard, it wasn't strong, it was weak and looked as if it might go out, she was still too weak to do those abilities to the best of her ability. And they watched as the wound seemed to close up and repair itself but then it stopped, reopening as the light went out, everyone who had experienced seeing this looked around for the only person that it could be but as they followed where the light was coming from they saw no one there.

Marco looked and knew exactly who it was, head whipping around trying to find her but not seeing her anywhere.

Ace who also was staring in horror seeing his father being stabbed by someone he considered a brother, someone he fought beside. It sent a pain through his chest. And then he saw the light and instantly recognised it, head snapping to the side, following the stream of light and saw it right beside Luffy, he couldn't see her but now he knew she was there. He couldn't swallow the shock, everything seemed to crash in his mind, first Luffy and now her, someone he betrayed and scarred and hurt more than words could explain, the girl that he loved. She was there fighting.

Amethyst was shaking, she looked up and saw the wound had only healed a bit and sighed in frustration as the ability dropped and leaving Marco to deal with the rest. She stayed on all fours as she tried to catch her breath, she was shaking as pain radiated through her body, she coughed up blood and Luffy was there in an instant, reaching his hand out to try and grab at her, even though he couldn't see her.

"Am!" he cried, seeing the blood appear out of nowhere.

She grabbed his searching hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "I'm okay," she said, voice coming out raspy. She looked up again and was surprised to see Whitebeard now hugging the man but then she realised that he must be someone she hadn't met that was considered family and she got even angrier but let it go for the time being. They still had a mission and as she glanced back a third time she saw Whitebeard emitting a strong power and cracking the air, the ice wall surrounding the outside of the battlefield falling and crumbling down, revealing the sea. And then he finally joined the battle.

Amethyst tugged at the arm that was still in her grip. "Come on Lu, we have to go," she said and they both got back up and started running forward again as fast as they could, Her head was in so much pain, chest aching painfully as well but she kept running forward, she then looked around and noticed that marines started backing a way in fear, as Whitebeard had joined the battle, she then noticed how there were nearly none left inside the bay.

As they were running they felt the ground beneath them tilt and they fell, having to hold onto the ice. She looked up and saw something beautifully terrifying, even Luffy's jaw dropped as he saw it. Right in front of them, it looked like the world had split into chunks, like broken puzzle pieces, the ice they were on slanted and forced those who were on it to hold on for dear life. The sea rising up from the power that was Whitebeard.

Amethyst tore her eyes away from it as the ground started to break more violently, the ice opening up like the jaws of a beast and before she could realise what was happening she saw Luffy had already fallen and hurriedly went to grab his outstretched arm that just came short when Jimbei stepped in and grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Jimbei!" Luffy shouted from inside the break of ice.

"Don't worry! I got you! Where is Amethyst? Is she alright?" Jimbei asked worriedly.

"I'm fine! I'm fine... Thank you Jimbei, can't count how many times we owe you already," Amethyst said, her voice causing Luffy and Jimbei to sigh in relief that she hadn't unknowingly fallen through.

Jimbei pulled Luffy up and Luffy's arm retracted and he shot up, over Jimbei and Amethyst, landing safely on his feet right behind them. "You saved me! Thanks a lot!" Luffy said smiling at Jimbei.

Jimbei waved off the thanks.

"Pops' timing is always great," Amethyst sarcastically. She then saw him jump and punch a giant right in the chest with his ability and strength, the force of the blow sending a shock wave and the burst of power then aimed straight for the execution platform but as it seemed about to reach the platform it split in two.

She looked to see how it could've veered away and as the smoke cleared she saw three admirals that she recognised, Kizaru, Aokiji and Akainu.

Luffy and Amethyst and the pirates ran straight for the wall that was now right in front of them. "Am! Grab on!" Luffy called out to her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, he stretched his arms out, reaching for the top of the wall and grabbed it, stretching them upwards... but just as he reached the top something broke through the ice and solid metal walls rose up, unhinging his grip and they went crashing back down.

Luffy was fine, but Amethyst, on the other hand, fell with a hard thud, smashing her head against solid ice, the pain instantly radiating through her body as she fell face first, she felt blood dripping down her head and she felt a sharp pain in her wrist, she had broken it. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up, her ability had dropped completely now.

She looked to her side and saw Luffy kneeling beside her worried and she gave him a small smile, she then noticed many cannons pointed at them coming out of the new metal wall and analysed the area then cursed, they were trapped.

She glanced up as she saw bright lights being shot into the air from the other side of the wall, she watched as it shot to the sky, she squinted and realised what they were. Lava.

"Why's lava shooting up in the air?" Luffy questioned as his eyes watched the magma disappear from sight, the sky darkening. Rumbles shattered through the sky but instead of rain, enormous chunks of magma were falling, it fell towards them like a meteor shower and all the pirates were stuck in the bay, trapped.

Amethyst grabbed Luffy, narrowly avoiding an incoming hit of magma, they started to run around, dodging the onslaught of the magma shower, the force of it knocking them off their feet sometimes. The screams were getting to her, flashes of memories going through her mind that she had to force down, she didn't have time for another one of her panic attacks.

They fell to the ground from a force of a nearby crash of magma and they both then focused on what was happening, eyes wide and unseeing. It was horrific like the world was coming to an end. Amethyst snapped her head towards Luffy and saw his eyes, they were full of terror and she felt her chest tighten painfully.

Suddenly sounds of cannon fire were heard as marines were adding to the rain of magma with cannon balls, pacifistas that were attacking the pirates outside of the bay, coming in from behind and attacking, there was nowhere safe, the battlefield was completely surrounded as death rained around them from everywhere. Magma melting the ice and leaving it open for pirates to fall into their death.

Whitebeard tried to use his ability to break through the wall that was blocking them in but to no avail, not even his Devil Fruit power could break the wall. It was made especially for him.

Amethyst turned and watched hopelessly as the Moby Dick, the place she called home and met her family was destroyed. She tried desperately to use her power to just push the magma out of the way of the ship but she was too injured, she was too far away and her body wasn't cooperating anymore, her broken wrist giving her a hard time as she had to use her other hand to focus the power only for it to be completely useless.

Sengoku's voice suddenly rang out over the area. "The plan is proceeding smoothly! And now the execution of Portgas D. Ace will proceed... immediately!"

Luffy and Amethyst pushed themselves up instantly as those words rang out, desperation intensifying as the execution was nearly happening. They both tried to look around to see some way of getting to the platform when Whitebeard pirates started to scream in dismay as there was no way to get to the platform or get into the plaza but one shouted that there was one way.

Amethyst saw what they were talking about, there was a straight path right through to the plaza as a giant held down the wall with his body. It was right in the line of fire but there was a light there, a light leading to Ace.

She looked at Luffy and saw he realised the same thing, a mad look in his eyes that matched her own. "Well, you ready Lu?" she asked.

He looked at her and nodded and they both looked forward and ran straight for it, passing all of the Whitebeard pirates that were hesitating on whether they should or not. Luffy jumping over some people as Amethyst rammed right through them, pushing them out of the way. "MOVE!" She yelled and rammed through the lot, now running beside Luffy as they headed straight through.

All the pirates stared at them in shock as they couldn't believe that they would just go through with it. But then it lit a fire in them and inspired them to follow after, no fear on their faces as they charged forward.

Magma and cannon balls were raining down on them, taking pirates out left and right. But Amethyst and Luffy kept going forward, common sense leaving them as they saw the light that leads to Ace and charging ahead.

A cannonball came flying straight at them but Amethyst could barely use her power as she flung it a little and it barely missed them, both losing their footing as the explosion took a toll on their bodies. Amethyst saw Luffy stop and stopped abruptly beside him, he had blood dripping down his face but he started to walk slowly.

"Luffy... wrap your arms around my neck!" Amethyst called out as she turned and stood in front of him, he wrapped his arms slowly around her neck and she held onto them with her one good hand and started running again, as fast as her legs could take her, blood was dripping from all the wounds she had acquired over the past two days, old wounds opening back up. But she never stopped, she was going to get there even if it killed her and she wasn't going to let Luffy or Ace die.

Luffy was mumbling Ace's name and the more she heard him mumble, the faster she forced her legs to go. And then Luffy seemed to lose it a bit, screaming at the top of his lungs, "ACCCCCEEEEE!"

And through the fire and smoke, Ace lifted his head and made eye contact with the now visible girl and the boy on his back, looking him dead in the eye as Amethyst ran, determination clear in her eyes. Amethyst looked up and then locked eyes with Ace and she smiled up at him a bit before her eyes widened when she saw a cannon fire straight for her... she turned around quickly, grabbing Luffy off her back, wrapping her arms around him so that her back faced the blast she tried to stop it with her ability but only serving to end it a couple feet behind them.

And then it blasted right in front of her back, the explosion so loud that her already bleeding ears seemed like they would rupture, she let out a scream of pain as she took the brunt of the attack, it sent them flying through the air. She opened her eyes that were forcing themselves closed and looked down, Luffy still wrapped in her arms securely but seemingly passed out and she saw that they were headed straight for the water, she jerked her body slightly so that Luffy was on top of her and instead of hitting the water directly her back hit directly on the edge of the ice and she quickly threw Luffy onto it before she fell into the water.

She was sinking, body weak with pain, she reached out and her fingers brushed the edge of the ice only the slip through her fingers and she sunk further, she tried holding her breath but it didn't last long as she let it out and water started to choke and fill her lungs, her body convulsing as she started to drown and suffocate, her eyes then slowly started to droop closed as the convulsions became jerky and slow. She was going to die.


	13. Chapter 13: Race Against Time

_**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece... Oda does.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 13.**

* * *

There's a saying, that when you're about to die, you see your life flash before your eyes, but she didn't feel that, she didn't see any flashes, all she saw was darkness, just so much darkness, no noise, no movement, no life... just nothing.

Was that the epitome of her life? Nothing but darkness and loneliness?

Suddenly she felt something grab her hand and pull her upwards and she broke through the water, eyes shooting open as she landed on the ice and started to cough up water and blood, that pooled in front of her, her head was hazy and pounding, vision blurry and whole body soaked with wounds, burns, water and blood. She breathed in a huge gasp of air and her lungs burned. She turned and lay on her back as she tried to steady everything she felt the slash in her back from hitting the edge of the ice, pooling blood underneath her. She snapped her head to the side and saw Luffy, his eyes wide, blood dripping from his mouth but alive and Bon Clay kneeling beside him, checking if he was okay and she breathed out a sigh of relief.

She then blinked and her eyes focused on who was directly above her, vision clearing to see Jimbei and Ivankov staring down at her with looks of worry. "Are you alright Amethyst?" Jimbei asked as they both knelt down to look at her and examine how badly she was injured.

"Seriously! How reckless can you both be!? Especially you!" Ivankov demanded hotly as she glared down at Amethyst who was still trying to catch her breath.

Luffy then spoke up, "Am... you.. okay?"

"Y-yeah Lu, I'm... already c-catching my second wind. How... about you?" she joked, voice raw and raspy.

"We've got to do something," he gasped out, he was dazed but nowhere near as bad as Amethyst or as injured as he would've been had she not protected him. He sat up slowly and looked to Jimbei and Ivankov and declared, "We've got to hurry! They're going to execute Ace!"

"Yes," Jimbei said, voice full of fear as he too was scared for Ace.

Luffy then got an idea in his head and looked down at Amethyst, exchanging looks, not saying any words as they held a mutual understanding. "Whatever you think of Lu, I'm there with you," she said, understanding the tiny bit of hesitation as he stared at her battered body. He then shook his head and looked to Jimbei grabbing the front of his Kimono and saying, "Jimbei! I've got a favour to ask!"

"What is it?" Jimbei asked and Amethyst noticed Luffy glance in the direction of the broken mast that was a few feet away, he then looked away from it and begged Jimbei, "I need you to throw us over the wall using your Fishman Karate! Am is too weak to use too much power!"

"Are you crazy!? You'll be stuck in water! Not including the fact that you both are in no condition to be thrown over the wall and straight to the Admirals and Warlords waiting there!" Ivankov shouted at the boy who even mentioned the absurd idea.

"He's right Luffy-kun, it's much too dangerous, especially with how injured you both are," Jimbei agreed, shocked at the request.

"Convince your brother, Amethyst!" Bon Clay shouted as he saw the stubborn look in Luffy's eyes.

Amethyst, shakily pushed herself up, forcing her wounded body to sit up and looked Luffy dead in the eye. "So, what's the plan exactly?" she said, smiling a little.

"WHAT!?" Ivankov and Bon Clay exclaimed as they saw the acceptance and stubborn look in the girls' eyes as well.

Luffy stood up and staggered over to the mast he was staring at before. "Me and Am will hold onto this to keep steady while you throw us over," he explained before looking at the Fishman and begging, "Please Jimbei."

Jimbei looked hesitant to accept as he looked from the boy to the girl, who were both pleading, one with their voice and the other with their eyes.

"I trust you! I know you can do it!" Luffy exclaimed with no hesitation and complete trust in his voice. His words seemed to have Jimbei listening now.

"If we don't do something, Ace is going to die! And so God help me if that happens the hell I will rain down will not even compare to the one happening now! We have to save Ace before they execute him!" Amethyst shouted, a gleam of determination and slight madness in her eyes, matching the one in Luffy's.

Jimbei then lost the will to argue and threw caution to the wind, ignoring the protests from Bon Clay and Ivankov and went to the sea, Amethyst standing up with a bit of help from Luffy and they walked to the mast, Luffy lifting it in his arms and Amethyst taking a hold of it. Jimbei seemed to wrap them up in the water like a blanket and took a hold of the waves, diving deep into the sea then they felt a rush as their vision was blurred and they were launched into the air.

The water spun and rose in the air, high above the battlefield and high above the wall before they felt themselves rushing and crashing down.

Amethyst landed on one bent knee, one hand steadying her as she crashed below, Luffy stood beside her, mast now tucked under his arm as he breathed heavily and raised his head, eyes full of madness.

Amethyst felt her ankle crack as she landed, she wasn't lucky enough as Luffy to have a rubber body, but she was able to not cause much damage to herself. She ignored the burning pain and pushed herself up, Now standing tall next to Luffy, glaring at everyone who was there, her eyes cold and menacing, matching eerily with the grin on her face as her eyes licked red and she made eye contact with the three admirals.

"LU... LUFFY! AMETHYST!" Ace choked out, eyes wide.

Ace's mouth was ajar, eyes full of primal fear as he saw the two people he had thought to have maybe been put out from the explosion he saw that hit them, but now both were facing impending death.

Amethyst watched as she saw everyone there surprised to see her, they had heard of her being exiled and then proven innocent and hadn't expected her to be there, other than the obvious ones who had the knowledge that she had come.

Aokiji stared at her in surprise and curiosity as he wondered how they both had gotten there. Kizaru staring solely at the girl, not making a reaction, keeping his face amused if not bored but Amethyst could tell he was slightly shaken from when she had dealt with him before. She then looked to who she recognised as Akainu, glaring the hardest at him, grin dropping as she thought about the magma that rained down, his face held little to no emotion, cold and merciless but she could see the glaring anger in his eyes as he saw her. Luffy was one thing, but Amethyst being there was a whole other situation, they knew of some extent to her power and none of it was good.

"Well, if it isn't the three government scum I've heard so much about," Amethyst said, eyes still holding her glare and grinning again, voice full of amusement but cold. "Hope you don't mind us crashing your little party now, do you?"

Aokiji looked rather amused and impressed as he spoke, "So, you both made it, more surprised the boy made it this far."

"Quite an entrance Slave and Son of Dragon," Akainu said, voice full of loathing.

Amethyst turned her glare back to him, "His name is Luffy," she sneered, ignoring the name he addressed her as.

Luffy said nothing as he continued to breathe heavily, his eyes never leaving the admirals as they stood there and watch the two.

"If nothing else, I praise your tenacity," Akainu said, looking directly at Luffy.

"But, are you sure you're ready for this stage yet?" Aokiji asked wondering, he knew Luffy was persistent but strong enough to be here? And he knew that Amethyst could take them all out easily without blinking if what he's heard about her is any correlation but seeing as she hasn't and is quite injured, he knows she's not in the best condition. She's also vulnerable.

Kizaru stayed quiet, evaluating Amethyst closely and could finally see what Aokiji saw, if she was able to she would've already ended all of this. So she also had some weakness. A thought that delighted him as he spoke finally, "You do know that you cannot hope to beat us, right?"

Amethyst decided to hold back and not use her power unless she really needed to, waiting for Luffy to do something so that if it seemed like he was going to get hurt then she would step in and use her ability, rushing in would be reckless... not that they hadn't just rushed in recklessly.

Luffy looked up and saw Ace directly above them, fear in his eyes as he stared down at the both of them and then locked eyes with Luffy.

"Give..." Luffy snarled before he jumped up, spinning the mast around and screaming, "ACE BACK!"

And then he threw the mast straight at the three admirals, no longer caring whether it worked or not. Aokiji's arm turned to ice and he reached up to touch the mast that flew at them, freezing it instantly. Luffy seemed to expect this and jumped higher into the air and let out a battle cry as Aokiji threw the frozen mast right back up at him.

"GUM GUM... STOMP GATLING!" he screamed, looking severe and mad as ever as he kicked out wildly, hitting the frozen wood until it broke into chunks, the pieces flying at the admirals who didn't react at all but they all understood, at that moment. He had declared war against them all.

Suddenly Kizaru appeared right in front of her "Hello there," he said in an amused tone and went to kick her, she made a jerky flick of her wrist and sent him back, not as hard as she would've hoped but enough for him to back off "Bye," she said. She then watched and cringed slightly as Luffy turned into second gear for the millionth time in these past couple days and he disappeared. She tried to track him down when she saw Kizaru disappear again and then appear a bit away from her and kick into the air and she saw Luffy get kicked away from the platform and into a few broken buildings.

Her eyes glowed crimson and she ran at Kizaru and before he could react he was flung back and smashed into the ground hard, she then turned and ran for Luffy as hard as she could. She caught up to where he had been thrown and saw him growl angrily, looking worn out and exhausted.

"On my mark!"

She whipped around at the voice of Sengoku, he commanded the executioners and they sprang into attention and positioned their swords at Ace's neck.

"Do IT!" Sengoku commanded, bringing his hand down, the executioners raising their swords over their heads before they swept it down.

Amethyst held her hand out but before she could try and do anything, the swords fell and blood flew but... it wasn't from Ace, before the swords could touch his skin, two great attacks of sand flew from out of nowhere, striking the two executioners, leaving deep gouges in the platform, the executioners flying back. Ace flung his head up in astonishment as he realised he hadn't been killed.

And standing right there was none other than Crocodile, surrounded on all sides by marines, blood trailing from his head.

"Bastard!" Sengoku yelled furiously as he glared down at Crocodile. "I thought we were lucky to have you here since you have an old grudge against Whitebeard, Crocodile!"

Luffy who was staring at Ace, making sure his head was still intact looked away to see who he had to thank for giving them more time.

"HIM!?" he shouted in relief, shock and anger as he spotted Crocodile.

Amethyst was just as shocked, wasn't he trying to kill Whitebeard just before? So why did he save Ace? "Hey, Croc! Not that I'm not grateful or whatever but what's the big idea?" She exclaimed.

Crocodile looked disinterested as he stared up at Sengoku, "You mean that weak, dying old man? I can kill him whenever I want later. But right now, I simply don't want to let any of you marines get what you want before that," he stated.

Amethyst rolled her eyes, 'Of course, _that_ was the reason', all these people are screwed in the head, she thought to herself.

At that moment, Crocodiles head went flying off and hit the ground.

"Hey now, Croco-man!" Doflamingo said as he came forward. "I'm actually jealous here. You ditched me so you can team up with Whitebeard?"

Crocodile's head then turned to sand and reformed back on his head and his face didn't seem the least bit bothered by the fact it was just lopped off a second ago, though he did seem a tad annoyed about Doflamingo.

"I don't team up with anyone," He replied coolly.

Amethyst watched the exchange and then saw Doflamingo kick at Crocodile who blocked it with his hook, the shock wave of the collision sending a few marines who were surrounding them, flying back.

"I don't know what just happened... but Ace is safe," she heard Luffy muttering to himself and looked back up to where Ace was. Alive and intact. He stood up, Amethyst helping him and they started fighting a swarm of marines that had started to focus on them, Amethyst saw Aokiji suddenly appear and saw him bring down an ice spear at Luffy, before she could react quick enough to use her ability, she threw herself between the spear and Luffy, it stabbing her through the right side of her chest.

"AM!" Luffy shouted in shock and he looked up angrily at the Admiral.

She glared up at the Admiral standing over them and he pulled the spear out but she didn't flinch even as blood gushed out of the newly made stab wound.

"Not reacting?" he asked, voice full of interest but for some reason, he didn't look the least bit happy with what he was doing.

"Please, I'm sure you scum are well aware that I've been through worse than this pin prick," she sneered, standing protectively in front of Luffy.

She watched as he raised the spear up again and stated, "Yes, but now you leave me no choice, you chose the path of death, both of you. Sorry."

She glared at him the whole time, daring him to do it as he brought it down, now aiming for her heart. But then something kicked it away, blue flames suddenly erupted, forming a sort of shield in front of the two and Amethyst looked up and locked eyes with none other than Marco.

"Marco..." she whispered, staring up at him.

"This! Is why I say you aren't allowed off the ship! You're so fucking reckless!" He snapped at her, anger and worry burning in his eyes. Amethyst knew it wasn't the right time but she couldn't help it, she lurched forward and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry," she choked out.

She felt him stiffen then relax, ruffling her hair, "I should be saying sorry but now's not the time for that," he said softly. She pulled away and nodded, looking back at Luffy who seemed very interested in the blue flames he just saw, he snapped out of it and looked up at Marco.

"Thanks for saving us," he said gratefully.

Marco just grinned down at him. "Don't mention it."

"We have to go, Lu," Amethyst said and he nodded, as they were going to continue, a hand grabbed her by the arm and she looked up at Marco "What?"

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked pointedly.

Amethyst sighed and pulled her arm away sighing as she said, "Really? You're doing this now?"

Screams and shouts of dismay and surprise resounded through the area and all three whipped their heads around just in time to see another ship that resembled the Moby Dick pulled up by the giant that was on the wall and brought in to the Plaza, crushing a few marines.

"He's pulled the ship ashore!"

"They've broken through the encircling wall!"

Amethyst ripped her eyes away from the sight when she heard something hit the ground behind her and looked to see Luffy had collapsed. He was struggling to get back on his feet and his breathing was ragged, she noticed him trembling. She held him up by the arm as he nearly fell over again and he coughed violently.

She vaguely heard Ace and Whitebeards voice in the background but didn't pay any mind as she held onto Luffy.

"Lu, you need to rest," she said finally, she couldn't just keep helping him get up and move forward, it was too much.

He shook his head and muttered determinedly, "Ace..."

"Fine... then get on my back again and hold on, at least you can sort of rest like that," she said firmly and he didn't argue, wrapping his arms around her neck and her holding onto his arms with one hand again.

She noticed her vision becoming blurry and cursed, she was losing too much blood but she shook her head, forcing it to clear up and ran on, but she didn't pay enough attention and she was tripped, falling forward, narrowly catching herself with her free hand that she had broken and wincing as pain shot up her arm. She went to use her ability when she felt a sword slice across her chest and stomach and she then hit the ground, turning on her side so that Luffy was away from the person.

She turned her eyes white and flicked the person she recognised as Momonga and sent him crashing into the wall. She pushed herself back up but just then a second Marine came and jabbed her with his finger, but it felt so powerful like she had been stabbed and blood burst out of her mouth.

She fell to the ground again, turning much like she did before so Luffy wasn't near the Marine, the white started fading from her eyes and the Marine noticed this and continued to assault her until she was sent back a good distance, turning in the air so she landed on her face and not on Luffy who she was still holding on her back. She tried getting back up but couldn't, her mind flashed back to Impel Down where she was forced to watch Luffy get hurt because she couldn't move.

Her blood was dripping from all the wounds all over her body and she was sure Luffy was the same.

She looked up, vision blurry and saw the one who hit her was now mocking her, saying how she was all talk and Luffy was just a rookie. She then noticed the absence of weight from her back and looked quickly to see Luffy had pushed himself back up, she then whipped her head to see Kizaru sending a light beam right at him and she forced herself up, pushing Luffy down and took the beam straight on, she noticed it nick his shoulder a bit as they both hit the ground, she was now laying on her back.

She looked up at the sky that was blue, still blue, still unchanging but now partially covered in smoke. Her breathing was jerky, she watched as the smoke that had gathered cleared up and turned to see Luffy, laying on the ground, eyes open, looking at her with an expression of worry, but exhaustion and pain were also clear and she was glad that she could take some of the attacks aiming for him.

She then saw Kizaru standing over her, face smug as he spoke, "I admit you are strong, but as it goes for both of you, willpower means nothing without strength to back it up. And because of that, you won't be able to save anyone no matter how hard you try."

Luffy tried his best to get up, whispering, "Ace..." and Amethyst was just wishing she could hide him, get him away from here, she watched as Kizaru then turned his attention towards Luffy and lifted his foot "Now... will you just stay down?" he went to kick him and as a last ditch effort she quickly glanced at Whitebeard then back to Luffy, she made a quick hand gesture and sent Luffy flying towards him and away from the Admiral, blood bursting from her mouth and dripping from her eyes as she did so.

Her body then fell limp and Amethyst was no longer looking at the Admiral, her eyes trailing up to look at Ace who was staring at her on the ground, she could see gratefulness in his eyes but most of all she saw fear, unbridled fear and torment.

He wanted to jump down there, make good of his sworn oath and protect her for once, to keep her from harm as he stared down at her, watching her put her life on the line for him and for his little brother.

She smiled a bit at him, her eyes starting to droop closed, she could vaguely hear shouts from people all around, calling her name and she struggled to keep her eyes opened when she saw a flash of blue, Kizaru suddenly disappearing from sight and then she was met with darkness.

* * *

Whitebeard who saw the boy flinging towards him, caught him in his hand effortlessly, holding the boy upside down by his legs like a ragdoll.

Luffy who had been flung was exhausted, he looked at Amethyst who was being towered over by the Admiral and her eyes were now closing but he felt relief when he saw the blue flame guy protect her, he then wheezed out, "A...Ace..." starting to cough up blood, his eyes then drooping closed.

Suddenly a voice rang out.

"There they are! I found Straw Hat and Amethyst! They're over there Jimbei!"

Everyone looked up to see a very very overly large head of Ivankov standing over them on top of the wall, some people screaming in shock at the odd sight. Some not knowing where the voice is coming from, questioning if they heard right.

"Can't you see me?!" Ivankov demanded furiously to the wondering voices, "It is me! I am Ivankov Dammit!"

Some started to say how they recognised the man as the person from the Revolutionary Army. And others wondering why his face looked so abnormal.

Jimbei and Bon Clay who were standing next to him looked down and saw the unconscious girl and spotted the boy in the grip of Whitebeard.

"Amethyst! Straw Hat!" Bon Clay shouted anxiously.

"Are you both still alive!?" Iva asked just as worried, the weight of his head almost making him fall off the wall. But he was able to stop himself and stand back up, straight. But then he lost balance, the weight too great and he toppled over and fell with a resounding crash to the ground.

"What a noisy guy," Whitebeard stated then glanced worriedly to his daughter that was lying unmoving on the ground.

Luffy then let out a groan, eyes blinking open and looking around trying to figure out what had happened and why he was upside down and trying to focus his vision, he then turned and saw two people he recognised and another who was now beside the unconscious Amethyst.

"Am...I-Iva...Jimbei... Bon," he mumbled and as his eyes started to adjust he started to struggle to get down. "Let me Go, Old man!" he shouted at him, "I'm... I gotta... let me go!"

"He's done more than enough," Whitebeard said before he tossed Luffy over to his men, still limp but far from Lifeless. "Hurry and treat his and Amethyst's wounds"

They obeyed the orders and caught Luffy, getting ready to treat him but he started to struggle to get them to let go. "Back off! Let me go!"

They started to protest and tell him to calm down and let them treat him but he wouldn't relent as he finally broke free, hitting the ground he pushed himself up and looked at one of the Pirates next to him, eyes burning with desperation. "Ace... Ace is... ACE IS MY ONLY BROTHER IN THE WORLD!"

His face was twisted with such desperation and madness that he looked delirious. "I'LL... I'M DEFINITELY... GOING TO SAVE HIM!" he screamed at the top of his lungs and pushed away from the pirate that was in his way and tried to run but staggered a few steps before collapsing to the floor.

* * *

 _She sent him flying into the wall, eyes wide, her whole body trembling as she clutched her hands together and held them against her chest, staring wildly at the person who had touched her in a way she hadn't ever been touched._

 _Suddenly the man started screaming for the guards but she was confused, they weren't allowed to touch her there... were they? She hadn't been touched there before, it didn't feel right, none of it felt right but this... felt more wrong._

 _Guards came running in and she was greeted with familiar beatings that she hadn't struggled from before. She was then escorted to her cell and thrown in, she grabbed her hoodie that was in there and scooched to the bars, she always liked sitting by the bars._

 _She didn't see her usual food ration, she wondered if it was because of what happened before, it wasn't intentional... she doesn't think. Her mind just worked on its own and she had moved her hand, she had a headache when she did it._

 _She looked at the picture that she had pulled out of her pocket, the lady was pretty... she liked her freckles and black hair and her green eyes, she didn't know who it was exactly but seeing her made her feel this feeling in her chest that she couldn't quite describe with words._

 _A slam was heard and she jumped, looking up at the guard who had come in, dragging another person with them._

 _The person was thrown against the cell bars and she looked at them, she recognised who that was, it was the lady in the picture._

 _She blinked._

 _The lady in the picture changed she wasn't smiling, she was looking at her now, face full of fear and... hatred. She says that her being born was a mistake, that she shouldn't be alive._

 _She blinked._

 _A tear falls and she watches as the lady changes again, her body limp and blood splattered, it splashed on the girls face and hands, she feels more tears fall, but says nothing._

 _She blinked._

 _She's in the back of the cell, crouched in the corner and staring at the blood trailing from the woman. She decided she didn't like the bars._

 _She blinked._

 _The woman was now gone, the guard now went as well, leaving the blood there, she looked at her hands and saw the red colour, it was... scary. She liked red. She didn't like blood._

 _She blinked._

 _The photo was burning in her hand as it caught on fire and she watched the face burn away into Ash, she liked the smell it was... comforting. She decided she still liked the woman because if she didn't who else would there be?_

 _She blinked._

* * *

Her eyes shot open and she blinked away the tears that had formed, she sat up wincing as she felt pain shoot through her. She looked around and came to adjust to the sight, realising she was still here, she was still in the war.

She looked up quickly and breathed a sigh of relief. Ace was still there. Still breathing. Still alive. She looked to where she vaguely remembered throwing Luffy and saw he wasn't there, where was he?

She looked again but saw nothing but a flurry of Pirates.

She pushed herself up only to fall back down.

"Amethyst! Don't push yourself!"

She looked at the person and saw Bon Clay, when did he get there? "Bon.. where's Luffy?"

"He's arguing with Iva, I was hoping you'd be awake so you could convince him and not agree with him like last time!" Bon Clay exclaimed in worry.

She nodded, she didn't understand what he was talking about but knew it mustn't be any good, "Help me up then," she said and he pulled her to her feet and took her over to Luffy who was holding onto Ivankov's ankle like his life depended on it and by the way his condition looked, she thought that maybe it was true. She smiled at Bon Clay and sat down next to Luffy when they got there, putting her hand on his head. "Luffy, what's happening?" she asked softly and his gaze ripped away from Ivankov and stared at her.

"Am... you're okay..." he whispered out, sounding exhausted.

She ruffled his hair and spoke, "Of course, I am," she looked up at Ivankov who was eyeing her warily as well. "Iva, what's wrong?"

"Your brother here is saying he wants another shot of Tension Hormones," Ivankov explained in shock and slight anger.

Amethysts eyes widened, that wasn't good, she looked down at Luffy who was now looking back at Ivankov.

"Iva... please.." Luffy rasped out, clenching his hand tighter around Ivankov's ankle, trying desperately to convince him.

"That's too reckless!" Ivankov screamed down at him, "Don't you see what you're asking? We fought all the way through Impel Down and even then you pushed yourself too far! Your body had been fatally poisoned and then brought straight back from death's door! You pushed it passed your limits!"

Amethyst stared at Luffy and saw his eyes and she knew, there was no stopping him, no matter what.

* * *

 _"If you think we're protective of each other as a family, you have not even begun to understand the lengths that moron will go to for people he cares about"._

* * *

"Well, if he's going to do it so will I... Iva... I need you to give me a shot of that adrenaline as well, two if you can," she said calmly, making everyone there look at her in shock.

"WHAT!?" Ivankov screamed out.

"I can't use my powers at all now, not even the simple ones, the shots won't last very long as my body will naturally burn it off but I need you to try, I just need the tiniest boost. It will do little to help with the more intense abilities but I'm sure it will help with the simpler ones, so that I can protect Luffy and we can get Ace free... together," she said, looking at Luffy as she spoke the last word, he was staring back in shock, he had never met someone like her... and she could say the same as she had never met someone like him.

"I've told you both before! This isn't anything but used for emergency treatment! It only tricks your body into thinking that you're alright! If you keep on deceiving your body like this then you'll really die once this is over! You too Amethyst! I don't know how your body works but you never recovered fully either! and you didn't even get the treatment done! PLUS! you want me to give you a double shot?!" Ivankov shouted, "That is suicide!"

"As long... as I've done... all that I can... then I don't mind... Dying!" Luffy gasped out.

"And if I have anything to do with it, neither of them will," Amethyst said even more determined hearing his words.

"Please... if I... if I can't save Ace... then.. then I... THEN I WILL WANT TO DIE!" Luffy shouted, looking like he was about to burst into tears, he was so desperate. Amethyst didn't feel shocked by the words, she felt that way as well. Her eyes filled with tears at just the thought of not saving... she didn't even want to think about that.

"I keep telling you that if I let you die here, I will never be able to look Dragon in the eye again!" Ivankov shouted back, torn between smacking him and the girl or just letting them do it.

"Amethyst! Did you not hear your brother?!" Bon Clay shouted finally, the whole ordeal had him shocked and angered speechless.

"I feel the same... I'm... Ace isn't my brother..." she started and the two Cross-dressers looked at her in shock, thinking that they were all siblings somehow. "He's... he saved me... and.." she choked up, "And I'm in love with him... if he dies... then I'm dying with him."

The two people looked at the two on the ground and looked in both of their eyes, seeing the desperation, seeing the torment and the pain, seeing the heartbreak and seeing the unconditional love.

That was the last straw for Ivankov as he said, "Fine..."

His finger tips on both hands turned into syringes before shouting, "Do whatever the hell you want!" and he stabbed both of them in the side.

They both jerked in surprise, eye sight becoming clear, senses instantly intensifying, everything became clear, surprisingly so and they both pushed themselves up. Luffy was hunched over and Amethyst was breathing heavily, stretching her limbs, a grin appearing on her face as she was feeling the temporary and invigorating effects of the double shot of Adrenaline. Suddenly Luffy's arms clenched tightly before he slowly reared his head back and let out a loud roar.

"AAAAAAAACCCCCCCEEE!" he screamed as loud as he could, Ace staring down in shock at seeing the two of them up.

"Always with the dramatics Lu," Amethyst remarked, meeting Ace's gaze and then looking to Luffy.

"Remember, The booster deceives your body. Nothing more. Your injuries haven't healed at all. And if you both fall again, no matter how persistent you are, you won't be getting back up," Ivankov said.

Luffy spat out some blood, staring at Ace. "Don't worry, I won't fall again"

Amethyst smirked "I don't mind falling... as long as it's after we save Ace..." she said and looked up to see two people back on the execution platform. "Shit! Lu they're going to try and execute him again!"

They both bolted, ignoring the shout from Ivankov as he tried to hold them back a bit longer. It was amazing, the difference of how they were fighting, they were now barreling through everyone, trampling right through them as if they weren't a match for them, which they weren't... technically speaking.

More marines came at them and they were ready to just fight them when Ivankov appeared behind them merely batting an eye and sending them all flying off.

"I will back you both up!" Ivankov declared.

"Thanks, Iva!" Luffy yelled back, surprisingly upbeat and they all kept running straight forward to the platform once again. There was so much smoke and rubble flying everywhere that it was hard to see anything but then someone appeared through the smoke, a tuft of pink hair and a marine uniform becoming clear.

Luffy's eyes widened in recognition and Amethyst rolled her eyes thinking, 'Another one of his buddies'

"Coby!?" he exclaimed in surprise.

Coby didn't answer as he looked up at them, a fierce look of determination in his eyes as he glared at Luffy specifically. He started mumbling things and Amethyst saw them glare at each other, it was intense and she realised that they must have some stronger connection, they must be friends. She left it to Luffy and kept running.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy yelled as Coby vanished from his spot and before Amethyst had time to blink the fight had ended, Luffy's fist collided with Coby's face, stopping him dead in his tracks and sending Coby crashing to the ground. And then they all carried on.

They kept running and all three looked up seeing the executioners raising their swords up, positioning them at Ace's throat once again. Ace's face was empty like he had given in and that made Amethyst pissed off, she used her ability, she knew she shouldn't as it was fairly strong especially from this far away but she couldn't help it.

 **'Moron, you think you can die before paying me back! You owe me an apology and you can't be dead for that, stop looking like you've accepted it!'**

Ace's scrunched his eyes closed tighter, now shaking as he heard the voice, but not looking up, he had accepted it, whatever came first, death or freedom, he was willing to go along with whichever.

"NO! ACE!" Luffy screamed out when he saw those two standing there, anger boiling in his eyes as he saw those swords at his brother's neck.

Suddenly a few Pacifistas came into sight as they started shooting at the crowd, Amethyst caught sight of one aiming at them, eyes turning white as she flicked it away from them. They kept running until an army of Pacifistas had surrounded them, when someone came running out of nowhere and jumping in front of them, spreading their arms wide in protection.

"Hancock!" Amethyst shouted in shock, what was she doing?

"Hey!" Luffy shouted at her, "Don't! You're gonna get hurt!"

But Hancock didn't budge, she glared coldly at the Pacifistas, daring them to try something and then suddenly, to their amazement, the lasers died down and they stopped attacking. Then announcing in a robotic voice, having been ordered not to attack their allies and that in their programming the Warlords were allies.

"That's right!" Luffy said in understanding, smiling. "You're their ally! So you're safe from them!" And like that, they started to run again and shouting back, "Thanks again, Hancock!"

Ivankov then started to question Luffy as he asked, "But that's the Pirate Empress! How in the world do you know her!?"

"Long story short, Luffy landed on her island because of Kuma and she fell in love with him," Amethyst said amused, ignoring Ivankov's look of disbelief and carrying on running.

They kept running and Amethyst looked to see Whitebeard kneeling on the ground holding onto his chest in pain and she wanted so desperately to heal him, to do something but she could already feel the adrenaline wearing off.

She then looked to see Marco and he had turned his back on the person he was fighting, Kizaru, and called out to Whitebeard. Suddenly he was shot through the back by a laser beam and as fast as light a pair of sea-stone cuffs snapped onto one of his wrists.

She felt her heart stop when her attention snapped back to Whitebeard and she saw his chest just penetrated by a magma fist. The blood was gushing out and he coughed up blood. And before she could even think her eyes glowed red and she ran towards Whitebeard, leaving Luffy in the protection of Ivankov.

She got there and stretched her hand out and the Admiral was forced out of his chest and now floating in the air, choking and glaring down at her, he sent a magma attack at her to which she blocked and threw towards a few marines who had thought to attack Whitebeard while he was down, she then threw him to the side and stood in front of Whitebeard.

"ANYONE TOUCH HIM AND I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!" she snarled, venom dripping from her voice and all the marines seemed to freeze.

"Don't just stand there!" Sengoku bellowed from the platform "Attack together and bring them both down!"

Men came at them and Amethyst shattered all of their swords, she stopped bullets and sent them whizzing back to where they came from, a couple of them hitting her in the legs and stomach and hitting Pops, she felt her blood bursting from beneath her nails and from all the wounds on her body but she didn't care, she was going to protect him.

Each and every Whitebeard pirate and ally suddenly ran towards them, panic and rage on their faces as Whitebeard nearly fell forward and just as suddenly as he nearly toppled over, he found his footing and righted himself up.

"Stay back!" He commanded in a thunderous voice. "Amethyst! Do not interfere! Do you think... that they can easily kill me?"

Amethyst looked back at him as he stared back.

"I don't need any help," he thundered, rising up like some monstrous beast from the deep gallows. "I AM WHITEBEARD!"

"Yeah and I'm your daughter, right? So, you can be mad all you like, I'm not leaving you. I trust Luffy to fulfil our goal." Amethyst said, grinning back at the man.

"Do not hesitate now! They've both been fatally wounded!" Sengoku yelled at the marines who remained standing.

Amethyst growled and the pure strength and power of Whitebeard and the girl had the marines frozen, not moving a single step. But after a while, they finally built up their courage and started to charge ahead and Amethyst attacked in full throttle as she spoke.

"Fatally wounded? I've been stabbed, sliced, shot, burned, poisoned, my wrist and ankle are both broken and I've been nearly fucking killed a billion times and I can still hold all you bastards off, fatally wounded would be me dead," Amethyst remarked cockily, grinning as she fought off the marines, she knew she was wounded badly but she wasn't going to let anyone look down at her.

Whitebeard didn't seem all that concerned either as he still tried to catch his breath. "Fatally wounded, am I?" he asked and also began to smile. "Don't make me laugh!" He called out, standing straighter. "Do you really think... do you really believe that I can die that easily..." he began to stagger a bit but forced his boots to dig in the ground so he wouldn't fall. Amethyst glanced back at him worriedly.

"Don't you understand what it would mean should I die before it is time?" He asked calmly. "Until I can see a bright future ahead for all my children then I will not allow myself to die. I won't."

Marines started to swarm Whitebeards back but he didn't seem fazed, looking straight at Ace.

"Right, Ace?" Whitebeard asked calmly and Ace looked choked up as he stared back.

Amethyst went into action to stop the marines that were going after his back but she heard a roar and a crash and she looked back and saw Jimbei there, he had chains around his arms and was now standing there, protecting Whitebeards back from the cowardly oncoming of attacks.

All the pirates who had rushed to help and protect Whitebeard hadn't left, now standing guard and attacking any marines that would try and have a go at him, they weren't going to let him die, even if it caused their own deaths.

"We are going to protect the Old man's pride!" Vista cried out.

Whitebeard looked far from comforted by their stubborn act, he looked very annoyed at the Pirates surrounding him. "You fools... getting worked up over something like this?"

"If you want to know the future so badly then I'll show you Whitebeard!" Sengoku declared loudly. He then looked to the two executioners and shouted at them, "DO IT!"

"ACE!" Luffy screamed in terror, tossing more marines to the side who had almost grabbed at him. "STOP IT!"

But Ace merely closed his eyes, if he was going to die here, he was going to accept.

 **'Ace...'**

Amethyst looked up at him and saw he wasn't reacting, she was still too far from the platform to just un-cuff him, why were they so far? Tears gathered in her eyes, she was too far to do anything, she felt her heart starting to beat furiously as she thought about the dream, was it... just a dream?

"You won't get away with that!" Whitebeard declared, he spotted the danger and lifted his weapon high to strike. "Do you think I would allow..."

But before he could finish a spasm of pain went through his body and he fell to his knees, blood pouring out of his mouth.

Amethyst looked up at Ace and she begged in her heart, begged that someone would stop it, she begged, and she... she prayed that if there was a shred of good in this war that someone would stop it, because she wanted him to leave, she didn't want him to die and she... she didn't want to die either... she had tasted it... freedom and happiness but if Ace wasn't there, she would give it all up and die with him. She turned pale as she watched the blades starting to fall when she heard and felt something powerful enough to rip her attention away.

"I SAID STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPP!" Luffy bellowed out. As he had been completely surrounded by marines, but the impact of his words released a shock wave that burst forth from him. Everyone recognised it as the one in a million Conquerors Haki. The shock wave was strong, it spread across the whole battlefield, touching every single person and already eyes were sent rolling back, bodies hitting the floor, marine, pirate and most importantly, The two executioners.

"Ace! I'm coming for you!" Luffy yelled and Amethyst was shocked beyond belief, she had never seen something like that, it was strong, very much so, but she quickly shook it off, she watched as he kept running forward and tears gathered in her eyes, he was that one shred of light in this godforsaken war.

All around them, familiar faces couldn't have looked more stunned such as Aokiji who looked completely stunned at the display. Even the Whitebeard pirates and Commanders were looking at the kid with a new found respect as they tried to slap their fallen comrades awake.

"If you can't withstand it then stay back!" one of the marines ordered. "Don't think of him as just some kid! Think of him as a Monster! That boy is the son of the Revolutionary Dragon! It's no wonder he possesses this innate power!"

Marines started to swarm after Luffy, momentarily forgetting about Whitebeard and running after the new big threat of the war. Whitebeard of all people stepped in and sent a quake through the air, sending the marines near them away. "Are you all really that scared of one kid? I thought you were trying to take my head."

Once the marines remembered that he was still alive on the battlefield, they forgot about Luffy once again, turning their attention back to Whitebeard. They seemed to figure that since he was badly wounded, it would only be a matter of time before he finally fell. Whitebeard only smirked at them, Amethyst scoffing as they had just signed their own death warrants.

As for the Commanders, they all continued to stand guarding Whitebeards back, looking ready to fight to the death alongside him.

As she was fighting off many marines, Amethyst turned her head to look at Luffy, he and Ivankov were being swarmed even worse than they were, every time he punched one and knocked them out, another group would replace him.

"MEN!" Whitebeards voice boomed out, "AS OF NOW, BACK UP STRAW HAT LUFFY WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

All the pirates were shocked but immediately jumped into action and running after the boy who their captain had put his faith and trust in to save Ace, everyone there was now betting their lives and Ace's life on Luffy.

Amethyst grinned "Yeah, you totally want him as one of your children," she replied teasingly, not moving from her spot.

"Did you not hear what I said, Brat?"

"I think I recall someone saying 'Men' I happen to be a female, plus, There are enough people guarding Lu, you, on the other hand, are going to have to settle for me, because I am not leaving you," she replied stubbornly and saw him glare annoyed at her to which she grinned back at him.

"We, New World Pirates, will lend you a hand!"

"Ace is right in front of us! Let's go, Straw Hat!"

Luffy looked around baffled at how much help he was getting now.

"This is serious!" Ivankov shouted, still running beside the Luffy.

"The world's mightiest pirate is testing you here!" Ivankov explained. "He has put all his faith in you! Do you know what this means? I'm asking if you have the resolve to live up to his expectations!"

Luffy replied back saying he didn't care or know about any of that and that he just wanted to save Ace.

Someone familiar then appeared in front of them and it was Hawk eye... now supporting a new sword that he must've picked up after his own one was shattered, he went to attack when someone jumped in the way and stopped it. It was Mr.1, he claimed it was bosses orders and Luffy ran straight around him, not arguing and going straight for the platform.

Crocodile then appeared as Mr.1 was cut down, he argued with the Warlord and then looked at Luffy, sneering slightly. "You're in the way Straw Hat, Get lost already!"

Luffy didn't need to be told twice as he ran ahead. And when he looked he saw that they were now right below the platform, Ace just above him. The Whitebeard pirates had formed a pathway for him, blocking out the marines and Warlords from getting in his way.

"The path is open... it's open!" Luffy gasped as he ran passed them all as he didn't have to fight his way through anymore.

"The platform is right in front of us! Keep going!" Ivankov shouted from behind as he was following closely.

"Right!" Luffy yelled and ended up leaving Ivankov behind. Amethyst looked from where she was fighting and she saw a familiar hand bringing out a glass of wine from Ivankov's afro. Her eyes widened and normally she would laugh but she was so emotionally and physically drained that she couldn't muster the energy.

Though he had been poisoned not too long ago, Inazuma looked mostly recovered as he jumped down from his place in Ivankov's hair and transformed his hands into scissors, running them along the ground right after Luffy.

Inazuma soon zoomed right past him, cutting up the ground and suddenly stopped... and with a long swiping motion he lifted the long strand of stone, it was twisting and bending like rubber before it crashed right at the top of the execution platform, right in front of Ace and forming a bridge from the ground up.

Everyone around them started to cheer Luffy on, Commanders attacking marines that tried to desperately get to him. A few slipped through but Luffy easily punched them and sent them out of his way.

"Get going!" Inazuma shouted at him.

"Sure, thanks!" Luffy cried out gratefully and he ran up and up, higher and higher, getting closer to Ace with every second. Pirates all over cheering him on and Amethyst looked up to Ace who was staring at him as he ran up, getting closer and closer, Luffy smiling the whole way and shouting Ace's name happily.

But it was too good to be true as the whole bridge began to crack and shake, the cheers then stopping. They looked to who was the cause of it and as Amethyst looked up to who was blocking Luffy, she gave him a weird look 'He looks... familiar'

"Grandpa!" Luffy shouted and she was shocked, that was his grandfather? A marine and by the way she could sense him, a very strong one. "What are you doing!? Get outta my way!"

Amethyst watched his eyes, staring straight into the man's eyes and it then came to her, her head pounding as she remembered the man and everything seemed to fall into place, the two grandsons wanting to become pirates and him being a marine, everything made sense. His name was Garp and his Grandsons were Luffy and Ace. She could see in his eyes, something gleaming in them.

Garp seemed to have heard the words of his grandson and shouted back at him angrily, "I'm not stepping aside! I am a Vice-Admiral! I've been fighting pirates, long before you were born! So, if you want to cross this bridge, YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST! STRAW HAT LUFFY!"

"Gramps!" Ace yelled pleadingly behind him.

"IT'S THE PATH YOU BOTH HAVE CHOSEN!"

"Please, Grandpa!" Luffy shouted, "Just let me pass!"

But Garp refused to budge even as the bridge beneath him began to crack and fall apart. Ace was screaming Luffy's name in terror, violently pulling at the chains. Luffy only continued to run, but fear and hesitation were clear in his eyes.

"Straw Hat Luffy! If you want to get past me, then you have to do it over my dead body!" Garp declared firmly, not looking at all happy about the situation.

"I can't do it Grandpa! Please move!" Luffy yelled up at him, nearing closer.

"And if you don't! Ace will die!" Garp yelled back.

That seemed to light something in Luffy and he screamed, "I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

"It's going to happen no matter how hard you try! And I'm not holding back anymore, Luffy! From here on out, I see you as an enemy!"

And holding up his fist, Amethyst could see it was flying at him, Luffy having no choice but to shift into second gear. Ace was shouting at them both to stop. Luffy threw his arm back, ready to meet his Grandfathers punch with one of his own. But Amethyst saw it, Garp's eyes, staring into Luffy's and he had frozen in place and she could see he was thinking about Luffy, not as a pirate, but as his Grandson, torment in his eyes. And sure enough Garp had closed his eyes at the last second and that was when Luffy slugged him hard in the face and he fell headfirst towards the ground.

And Amethyst felt her lips stretch into a smile as she watched him finally... finally make it to the top, now standing right in front of Ace.

"Finally..." Luffy gasped out, "Finally... I MADE IT!"

And he punched the air jubilantly. Amethyst laughed out loud and breathlessly as she watched the happiness in his eyes and the shock in Ace's.

"Luffy..." he said and for the first time since the war had started, he smiled. "You're one hell of a guy."

Luffy was dancing a little and Amethyst rolled her eyes and shouted from where she was on the ground and further from the platform, "Lu! the cuffs!"

Luffy snapped out of it, then reached in his pocket and went to Ace to unlock the cuffs.

Luffy and Ace looked up at the last minute as a bright glow started to emit from Sengoku, he suddenly grew gigantic, his limbs growing out of proportion, he was glowing gold and his body looked like a polished golden statue. Both were frozen and staring up at him in horror.

Amethyst's vision started to get spotty and she couldn't see what was happening, vision blurry, she could hear shouts, but they sounded as if she were underwater. She could only see a glow of gold, nothing more, nothing less. She felt the pain in her body come back ten fold and she gasped in pain, the adrenaline was definitely running out. She gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to give up now, they were so close and she hadn't seen him free yet, she wasn't going to fall until she saw him free.

Her vision cleared up and she saw Sengoku in full form, he was humongous, his large fist heading for the two. "LUFFY! HURRY!" She screamed out.

"The key broke!" he screamed back and she started to panic inwardly.

She watched as Mr.3 suddenly appeared, freaking out at the sight of Sengoku and then listening to something Luffy was telling him, he created a wax dome around him and Ace, Luffy blowing himself up into a balloon and as Sengoku's fist came down, it hit him right in the stomach, the rubber swallowing the impact, but the collision was strong and she saw the platform shake violently and knew it was going to break at any moment now and then just like, bolts started to pop out and violent creaking was heard.

And then the platform collapsed, smoke and debris flying everywhere, shading the three pirates that were on top.

She felt her eyes drooping closed but forced them to stay open.

And then she saw it, distracting her from the pain. A fire, orange, bright and beautiful bursting through the smoke, creating a tunnel of fire and then she heard his voice, full of happiness and excitement, her heart hammering against her chest as she saw him. "You haven't changed Luffy," he said.

She watched and saw Ace, smiling and thriving and then looked at Luffy, he looked like his face was going to split in half with that smile. And then she thought about what the sacrifice was. Was she was going to stay here? Was she was going to be left behind? or Was she was going to die even if she tried to escape with them? She couldn't understand as she watched him... How could things go wrong from this point, maybe it was an, if it happened and not a when it happened dream... but something in her felt... wrong... she didn't understand why, but she held so much trust in that dream and the sacrifice and the fact that she felt it was so... real. And as she looked at their faces, she didn't care that much either way.

"You never listen to a word I say, do you?" Ace's voice continued, grabbing a hold of Luffy who had a hold of Mr.3.

Cheers of joy rang out through the plaza as the pirates cheered for the boys success in freeing Ace.

"ACE!" Luffy screamed out in joy, he finally did it, he finally saved his brother.


	14. Chapter 14: The Price of a Sacrifice

_**Disclaimer: Oda owns One Piece.**_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 14.**

* * *

The Whitebeards and their allies were all cheering in joy at the sight of Ace free from those chains, Marines staring in stunned disbelief.

Ace stretched out an arm to grab Luffy by his shirt and held onto him as they flew through the fire.

"Stay sharp Luffy!" Ace called out seriously, "Stay on your toes!"

"Right!" Luffy said in agreement.

"Are you two crazy?!" Mr.3 shouted out in fright at the idea of fighting more marines.

Ace's body suddenly burst into flames as he created a column of fire blazing down at the marines that were running around beneath them. They shrieked and ran for their lives as the three landed, with Ace creating a kind of barrier of fire around Luffy and Mr.3 to protect them from getting burned as the wildfire raged around them.

Amethyst watched as the fire around them died down and she could see Ace and Luffy with their fists up, ready for a fight whilst Mr.3 crawled on the floor in fear. She looked straight at Ace and he locked eyes with her, she suddenly felt herself get light-headed again and shook her head to try and get rid of the feeling, she looked away from him and turned her attention back to the marines that were at the moment still in shock.

Ace's brows furrowed a bit seeing her shake her head and look away from him, he started to think maybe she was still mad, still broken at what he had done to her and he felt himself feel the guilt all over again but then turned serious.

"Still up for a fight, Luffy?" he asked, looking ready to fight for the both of them no matter what he said.

"Of course I am!" Luffy answered fiercely, determined to show that he didn't need Ace's help anymore. Ace looked a bit skeptical, not knowing whether or not he could trust the statement, but there wasn't time for that right now, with enemies surrounding them, shouting out orders to stop them.

He smirked and said to him, "I never once thought I'd see the day when you would save me, for once." he looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "Thanks, Luffy."

Luffy chuckled sheepishly. "Well I couldn't have done it without Old man Whitebeard and his men to help me... Oh and Am! I would've died without her! She saved me a lot!"

"Am?... Oh, you mean Amethyst, how'd you meet her?" Ace asked curiously.

"She popped up on our ship! Said that you guys kicked her out." Luffy answered before continuing, "I made her my Nakama! But she keeps saying 'no' oh and we became brother and sister!" he shouted excitedly after pouting a bit.

Ace cocked a brow in surprise, shaking off the grimace at hearing his blunt honesty, he was surprised at the fact that of all the people to run into, she ran into his little brother and also became brother and sister? Sure made a lot of sense now that he thought about her protecting him.

"But I'm the only one that can be her brother! Not you, sorry Ace," Luffy said not so apologetically making him smirk.

"Don't think you're safe yet!" A marine shouted bravely as both brother's eyes suddenly shadowed over dangerously, their reunion put on hold. "You will die where you stand!" Before they could continue their inappropriately timed conversation, marines started to fire at them, but in their desperation to stop them, they had forgotten the small detail that they were both devil fruit users, which were proven when the bullets simply went through Ace as he turned into flames, and how when Luffy was hit, his skin stretched and sent them right back.

The two then proceeded to mop the floor with the marines as they kept firing bullets, then finally realising that it wasn't effective they pulled out swords instead and charged right for Luffy. He looked ready to dodge when Ace stepped in and saved him from the trouble.

He jumped up, actually doing a handstand on his brother's head until Luffy was forced down into a kind of squat and down low enough that he was out of harms way. The swords hitting Ace instead, blades going right through his body, as he smirked at them.

"He's my little brother," he informed as if they were being highly rude. " So I'd appreciate if you'd back off!" he then used Luffy like a springboard and actually propelled himself into the air where he spun around to face them all.

"Fire FIST!" he yelled before he sent his signature attack right at them, forcing them to run once again to avoid getting burned.

"You both are so dramatic, did you really need to jump on his head?" A voice called out in amusement.

Ace landed on the ground and whipped his head around, his heart hammering against his chest as he heard her real voice for the first time in a long time. "Ammy?" he felt a poke in his cheek and looked only to see no one.

"I'm still mad, so as punishment, I'm not gonna let you see me," she said, now from the other side of him. She laughed as he tried to reach out for her only to grasp at nothing.

"Second... GEAR!" Luffy shouted suddenly as he pumped blood into his legs once more as three marines tried to surround him with their swords. Luffy disappeared at the last second so that the blades struck the ground and left them stunned as to where he disappeared.

It took the older two a second to see where he was now... having jumped up into the air and somersaulting over and over before he stretched his leg out and did a Jet stamp to take them down.

Ace then turned and held out his fingers and pointed them out like he had a pair of guns before he began to fire, quite literally, fire bullets.

"FIRE GUN!" he declared as the marines tried to dodge, but unlike Luffy and him, they didn't have the luck of a Devil Fruit and there was nothing they could do to avoid these guns. He managed to hit every one of them in his line of sight, but was so focused on this that he didn't seem to notice that there was another marine with a giant spiked mace lunging at him from behind.

"DIE, FIRE FIST!" he shouted.

Luffy got there before the marine could even touch Ace however, kicking him out of the way and he fell in a heap with Luffy landing right next to his brother. Amethyst watched as realisation fell over the marines that they were out-matched, Luffy and Ace's teamwork was just perfect.

"Wow, I didn't even have to do anything," she said, impressed at the synchronisation.

They just smiled, as if drinking in the moment of freedom, they cleared enough of the marines away that they were left an open path.

"Well, no time for standing around, Let's go and get this moron out of here officially!" Amethyst shouted, nudging the two forward a bit.

Luffy nodded, looking at Ace and beaming whole-heartedly as he looked at his brother. They all ran and joined up with the rest of the Whitebeard's forces, clearing a path to the bay for all of them.

The marines gave chase, but all three dodged, Ace and Luffy jumping into the air, Ace spinning upside down and holding his hands up so that a green light ignited and he created tiny balls of fire like fireflies and sent them down on their pursuers. The balls burst into explosions, burning the marines... with Luffy following up with a Gatling gun right after it, punching any marines that Ace missed.

Seeing the two of them fight seemed to lift morale with all of the Whitebeard's forces. It seemed to light a fire in them all as they cheered and began to fight their way back to their ships, having gotten what they came here for. Now all they had to do was get to a ship.

As they ran together towards the wall, Ace looked to his side and to Luffy, pride shining in his eyes, he looked at him long and hard before he smiled and informed Luffy. "You've gotten strong, Luffy."

Amethyst felt herself grin at the look on Luffy's face, he gasped silently and looked to Ace, then smiling back.

"And someday..." he informed him determinedly, "I'll surpass even you!"

Ace just smirked a little wider, but not in a mocking way, in a more... he knew it was going to be true and anticipating the day that it would happen. But their touching scene didn't last long for at the moment they stopped dead in their tracks as someone stood in their way.

And it turned out to be Aokiji who had stepped in, ready to try his hand at stopping them; while, instinctively, Ace held out his hand to freeze Luffy, silently warning him to stand back.

"Well, until then, let me protect you a little longer," he told Luffy as he moved protectively in front of him so that he was facing Aokiji.

"You will surpass him someday?" Aokiji repeated. "But how can you do that when you have no tomorrow? Neither of you are getting outta here alive."

Amethyst made herself visible, eyes white and lifted her hand, Aokiji lifting in the air and she threw him as far as she could, hearing a satisfying crash. She lurched over and vomited blood, her eyes burning as pain shook her body.

"Neither of them are dying on my watch," she said after settling and wiping her mouth, she felt a hand caress her arm and didn't have to look to know who it was. "Ammy..." he whispered in concern.

Ace's eyes were wide as he looked at her, up close for the first time, finally taking in her condition. She looked as if she should be dead twice over, she had so many wounds, all with which were bleeding profusely, her eyes clouded over with pain and exhaustion, he felt his chest constrict painfully at seeing her. She was so damaged.

Amethyst looked up at him and saw his expression, she reached a hand up and rested her hand on his cheek. "Stop looking at me like I'm gonna drop dead," she said full of amusement.

He inwardly grimaced as he felt how cold her hand was, he grabbed it in his own and grabbed a hold of Luffy's arm as he then led them away from where they were standing and back to where their friends and crew were waiting for them.

"Says the girl with blood coming out of everywhere," he replied back, amusement but also worry and frustration in his voice.

Before she could reply back, something new happened, the ship that the Whitebeard pirates had first entered the plaza with now moving across the concrete, marines screaming and scrambling to get out of the way of it. Pirates were just as confused, shouting out, asking who was on there.

Amethyst squinted her eyes to see who it was and spotted a large amount of pirates there, but she then saw one in particular that she could recognise. "It's that Squardo guy that stabbed Pops," she said in surprise.

"Old man! Everyone! Use this chance to run!" Squardo screamed out from the top of the ship as they tore up the ground and continued on in a surprisingly fast pace.

"Is he nuts!?" Amethyst shouted, and she didn't seem like the only one who thought so as many pirates started to shout at him.

"Don't be an idiot Squardo!"

"You'll die if you do this!"

"Are you planning on killing yourself!?"

"Of course I do! I deserve to die for stabbing Pops like that! It may not atone for my crimes, but I won't be satisfied unless I do this!" Squardo shouted back.

Squardo then looked behind him at his crew as if he was telling them to leave as well, but they seemed just as determined as he did and they even began to cheer when he raised his sword up high and declared, "Now, all of you, take Ace and get outta here as fast as you can!"

"Squardo!" Marco shouted, still trying to get un-cuffed and was bleeding heavily. He turned to some of his crew mates and shouted at them to hurry and unlock it.

"Squardo!" Ace shouted in horror, staring up at him, looking ready to stop him himself.

This seemed to be their last hurrah for Squardo and his crew... when the ship suddenly stopped. It was still trying to move forward, creaking and groaning could be heard from the effort, but now it was as if they hit some kind of blockage to prevent it from going any further. The paddles roared and grunted as they continued to try to keep moving, but soon, whatever was blocking it, had won out and the ship suddenly stopped completely.

"What!?" Squardo yelled as he glared down. "Hey! What happened!? Why aren't we going anywhere!?"

Amethyst's eyes traveled downwards and right under the ship's massive front, Whitebeard was standing there, still bleeding heavily, but was more than able to stop the ship's rampage with a single hand.

"Old man!" Squardo shouted in shock when he saw him. "What are you doing!?"

"I'm stopping you from making a huge mistake, you idiot!" Whitebeard answered, panting as he did, the effort of stopping the ship seemed to be too much for him, even if he did manage to do it in a way that seemed effortless. "Squardo... I can't believe you would do this. Don't you know how disrespectful it is for his sons to die before their father! Did you actually think that little pinprick of yours hurt me?! You fool! I'm not so weak to die from your blade, but everyone grows old and dies eventually!"

Whitebeard then turned from the ship and his men as he stood against marines once again. Seeing him walk forward again drew everyone's attention as they watched, wondering what his next command would be.

"We've already done what we came here to do!" Whitebeard said, there was something in his tone, a grim satisfaction and Amethyst felt dread claw in her stomach, she didn't like the tone of his voice, it held too much. "No..." she whispered as a thought crossed her mind.

"Our business here is finished!" he commanded before he coughed violently and more blood burst out of his mouth.

"And now," he began again before standing tall. "Listen up, Whitebeard pirates! These... are my _final_ orders as your captain!"

Pirates all around started to protest, not wanting to hear him talk like that, he was talking as if he was never going to escape. Every Whitebeard pirate letting out cries of disbelief and anguish at the thought of leaving here without him, the thought of hearing the _last_ _command_. One voice speaking out louder than the others.

"Old man!" Ace cried out. His eyes were wide with a kind of terror that was seen throughout the whole war, he couldn't fathom the thought of leaving him.

"IT'S TIME FOR US TO PART WAYS!" Whitebeard bellowed out for all of them to hear. "YOU MUST SURVIVE AND RETURN TO THE NEW WORLD WITHOUT ME!"

There wasn't a single pirate there who wanted to hear his order and they were all yelling out in protest, yelling that they weren't going to leave him like this and they were going to leave together.

But Whitebeard had enough of their whining and slammed his foot down to silence them all. "I'm a relic of a bygone era!" he shouted, holding up his fist. "There is no ship that can carry me on to the New Era!"

And without a second thought, he slammed his fist in the air to create another earthquake, destroying what's left of the shambles that the island was in. "GO! MY MEN!"

The earthquake knocked over the few marines that were left standing as the ground cracked apart beneath them, creating deep gorges below that showed nothing but the black abyss of the earth. And that's when they all realised, he wasn't giving him a choice and making it so that they couldn't go back and help him.

As Marineford shook and started to break apart, falling to the ground, Most of the Whitebeard pirates still protested, still yelled and still tried to get to him someway somehow, some more level-headed trying to hold them back, accepting the sacrifice that was being given.

But their cries just seemed to annoy Whitebeard more than anything else. Without even looking back at them he barked out angrily, "Are you disobeying your captain's orders!? Get going, you imbeciles!"

The marines were shooting Whitebeard again, at a last attempt to stop him, filling him with bullets, yet they were taken out of the picture when he sent another quake right behind them. He was buying time for his men to get away, thought they were still struggling to do such a thing as leave him behind.

The pirates started to turn tail, crying as they obeyed the command and convinced everyone else to do so as well.

Ace had stood there for some time, not wanting to leave that spot as he stared at Whitebeards back and tried to come to terms of what was about to happen. Whitebeard wasn't leaving this place and he was trying to grasp this fact as Luffy continued to stand with him. Even he understood what was happening here, and he wanted to help Ace through it but there wasn't time.

They had to go... and now.

"Ace! Come on!" Luffy pleaded to him as he continued to stare at Whitebeard, his eyes shadowed over. "The Old timer made his choice! Let's go!"

"I know..." Ace said at last, not looking at him. "I'm not going to waste his efforts."

But Ace held his fist out and shot a great burst of fire right at the marines who were trying to swarm Whitebeard from behind.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted at them angrily, "All of you!"

He made a wall of flames around both him and Whitebeard, giving them a chance to talk one last time. He then dropped to his knees and bowed his head down low, his head touching the ground.

Whitebeard then turned to Ace, not saying anything for the longest time.

"There's no need for words," Whitebeard finally said after a moment when he saw Ace on the ground, compassion in his eyes as he understood what Ace wanted to say. "But before you go. Were you happy with me as your father?"

"OF COURSE I AM!" he cried out, choking up as he felt himself about to cry.

The answer that he heard seemed to be enough for Whitebeard as he then smiled and let out a laugh. As the fire died down, Ace seemed ready to run with Luffy right behind, he grabbed a hold of Amethyst's hand and started to bolt.

Amethyst then suddenly let go of his hand and stopped. Ace turned to her, eyes wide and confused. "Ammy! What are you doing!? Let's go!"

Her eyes filled with tears, that fell over, rolling down her cheeks. "I-I can't leave him Ace, you have to leave without me," she said finally.

He shook his head violently and walked to her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders and moving his hands up to caress around her neck, thumbs tracing her jawline and looking her dead in the eyes. "I get it, I do, but I'm not leaving you behind, we have to go." he said desperately, trying to ignore that glint in her eye that showed she wasn't going to budge.

She then smiled and grabbed his hands off of her, holding them tightly in her own "I'll be fine... I promise... I'm not going to let him die and I'll come back." she said, eyes burning with determination.

Ace looked at her and he believed her, he believed that what she was saying was the truth, but it didn't make it any easier, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then pushed him away from her, "Go! You and Luffy have to get going now!" she shouted to him.

He stared at her longer and then nodded, forcing his eyes away and turning to look at Luffy, who was looking like he wanted to stop her from leaving as well.

"Lu, we came here to do one thing, now I'm trusting you to see it all the way through!" she said to the hesitating boy.

Luffy then nodded firmly and both of them bolted towards the other pirates, but not before glancing behind them one last time.

Amethyst stood beside Whitebeard and he looked down at her. "Did you not hear my command?"

"I did, but you see, I'm not part of your crew remember? I recall being kicked out, so I don't need to listen to your command," she replied cheekily. "Also, the New Era could use an Old timer like you, won't know until we try, now, will we?"

Whitebeard looked down at her, feeling a growing anger but it soon died down and he looked forward again. "Brat".

* * *

Ace and Luffy were still running to get away.

"Ace! Luffy-kun!" shouted a familiar voice and they looked behind them in surprise to see Jimbei, running to catch up with them and making sure he ran behind the two so he could protect them from any stray attack.

"Jimbei!" They both yelled when they saw him there.

"They're specifically targeting you two!" He told them both seriously, knowing they weren't safe just yet. "It's Pops' last wish that every one of his men get's away from this place, alive!"

And onwards they kept running, listening to Whitebeard's and Amethyst's attacks and the screams of the marines as they were crushed and killed. Most of the pirates had already made it to the bay and were now boarding there own ships as well as several battle ships.

"Everyone!" One of the pirates shouted from one of the nearby ships, waving them over, "Get on board! We managed to capture this ship! Hurry up!"

No one said anything and kept running towards freedom, towards safety, legs burning and hearts racing... but then screams started to ring out as an unwelcome presence started to follow closely behind.

"LOOK OUT! HERE COMES ADMIRAL AKAINU!"

The Admiral then turned his arm into magma before he sent his fist at a group of pirates, hitting them and blowing the ground up around them in the process.

"Did you truly expect to escape from me?! How optimistic!" He cried out, his voice dripping with malice as he sent another attack out, his arm billowing out thick clouds of smoke. Ace looked as if he was using all his will power to keep going forward, hating himself for leaving his comrades and crew mates behind to die.

Jimbei shouted to Luffy and Ace to keep running to the ship and not to stop for anything, no matter what.

"Humph," Akainu scoffed before he openly mocked. "You manage to free fire-fist Ace and then you turn and runaway like a dog with its tail tucked between it's legs, eh? The Whitebeard Pirates are nothing more than a pack of cowards."

They kept running, ignoring his words, his taunts.

"However, considering who your leader is, it doesn't come as a surprise to me," he declared, "After all... Whitebeard is a loser from a bygone era!"

Ace's eyes widened with silent rage as he stopped dead in his tracks, Luffy knew, he felt a foreboding, he turned and stopped running as well, looking to where Ace was standing.

"Ace!" Luffy yelled as Akainu set his sights on them, "W-what are you doing!?"

Ace didn't answer, instead he stood his ground before he snarled, "A loser!?" And he was glaring with nothing short of hatred and detest in his eyes as he finished, "You take that back!"

"Huh?" Akainu asked casually, fueling Ace's anger.

Ace's fists were ablaze as he turned to face him and he snarled, glare intensifying "Take back, what you just said!"

"Don't do it Ace! Don't stop running!" one of his crew mates shouted.

"Just let him blabber on! Let's go!" another pirate cried out and pulled his arm to get him to leave with them, he just pulled himself free, refusing to take another step.

"He just badmouthed Pops!" He yelled back, "That bastard actually treated Pops for a fool!"

"Ace!" Luffy yelled, clearly not wanting his brother to stop when they're so close to escaping, just a few minutes away from freedom, from reaching their goal.

Akainu went on to taunt him. "Take it back, you say?" he repeated darkly before he gave a nasty smirk, knowing that he got Ace's attention. "I have no intention of doing so. Face the facts, Ace. Your real father, Gold Roger managed to conquer the Grandline and gave his life to start a new age. I know that a marine such as myself should not say something like this, but there is no doubt that he deserved the title of the King of the Pirates. Compared to that, what is Whitebeard?"

"Shut up," Ace growled, his anger growing at the mention of his father to which he still despised. He was getting angrier and angrier with every word that he heard. Fire began to lick his entire body as he actually took a step towards Akainu; he was close to snapping.

"After all," Akainu went on casually, "Did he even have the guts to take on Roger? All he has ever done is hide away, safe, in the corner of the sea and stay out of trouble. Even to this day there are those fools who feel calm that Whitebeard's name alone is what upholds peace on many islands... But as far as I'm concerned... He just intimidated all the weaklings and buffed himself up to the status of a hero! It's nonsense!"

"Roger was a lot of things, but he maintained his honour his entire life," Akainu went on, Ace's eyes narrowing in rage, "Even in his death, he was hailed as a king. Whitebeard is an eternal Loser who was never able to step out of Roger's shadow! That is all he will ever be and everything I said is the truth."

That was enough for Ace as he started to march towards Akainu, stepping away from his comrades. Luffy could only stand there, watching fearfully as Ace continued to make his way to Akainu, he was cut all over, bleeding and trembling as if standing up was difficult for him to do.

"Now that I think about it, he's even more pathetic than I thought," Akainu went on, "All of his underlings call him 'father' or 'Pops'... sailing the seas like some kinda big happy family!"

"Shut up!" Ace barked at the Admiral as the other Whitebeard Pirates were glaring in rage at Akainu's words.

"He reigned the sea for decades, yet he never became a king or gained anything," Akainu stated with a smugness that infuriated them all. "In the end, one of his own idiot 'sons' was smooth talked into stabbing him! And now, he's going to die, trying to protect the same fool!"

"Now, isn't that what you call a failed life?" Akainu questioned.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Ace roared as his fires continued to burn an he was looking ready to start charging at a full pace.

"Don't fall for it Ace! Turn back!" cried out one of the Commanders as others yelled out his name. But still, Ace ignored them as he focused on beating the crap out of Akainu. Ace lost what was left of his patience as his hands burst into flames and aimed them at Akainu. "NO!" he shouted out to his pleading crew mates. "I am NOT running away from this bastard!" He then hollered in a venomous tone to the Admiral, "The Old man gave us a place to belong! You people will never understand Pops greatness!"

Akainu just looked at Ace as if he was dirt beneath his feet, worth nothing and meant nothing. "People who live outside the law do not deserve to live at all!" he declared. "There is no place for pirates like you to belong!"

"Cut it out!" Ace screamed in fury, his fire burning so hot that it looked like it would begin to start melting the ground.

"Whitebeard will die a loser!" Akainu taunted. "A fitting end for a leader of a band of human trash!"

Ace seemed to have just lost it by those last words for he shouted out, "Whitebeard is the one who ruled over this era!" And his entire body burst into flames as he charged forward, "Don't you insult the man who saved my life!"

The Whitebeard Pirates started to scream out at him, pleading and begging him to stop.

"The name of this era is Whitebeard!" Ace screamed at the top of his lungs.

"ACE! DON'T DO IT!" The Whitebeard Pirates screamed... but it was too late. Akainu raised his fist and charged at Ace at the exact same time until both of them clashed together. What happened next, nobody was sure, for there was a mighty explosion from the moment that their fists clashed together. They could feel the heat emanating against the fire and magma, the fire blinding them for a moment.

Both of the different forms clashed, striking and both attempting to beat the other. Yet, in the end... it was Ace's flames that started to give out. And Akainu knew this as he shouted out, "Whitebeard and all you fools that call him your father, will all share the same miserable end!"

There was another explosion, and then a scream, and the next thing that happened before any of them knew, was Ace who was sent flying backwards and landed with a crash to the ground. But what got their attention was the scream in pain and then they noticed his arm... it was severely burned.

"Ace!" One of the Commanders screamed in shock. "He got burned!?"

Ace laid there, face-down on the ground, his body shaking from pain, and maybe even the urge to scream again. He slowly moved his arms so that he could grip his burned arm.

"You were over confident because we are both Logias, right?" Akainu asked him, in a tone that clearly said, Ace wasn't worth his time. "Fool! You are merely fire! I am magma, a power that can burn even flames! My powers are far more superior to yours, boy! That is the difference in our strengths!"

Ace was shaking, trying to bite back a whimper of pain. He raised his head up, slowly, gritting his teeth as he stared at his injury.

"Ace!" Luffy's voice cried out, he tried to rush their and help him out but he had hardly taken a couple of steps when he suddenly stumbled and fell to his knees. He coughed, his whole body shook as he tried to catch his breath.

"Luffy!" Jimbei called out anxiously from behind him. "You have reached your limit!"

"Ace's Vivre Card..." Luffy muttered to himself when he spotted the stray piece of paper that must've fallen out of his hat, slowly moving across the ground, just out of his reach. As he tried to reach for it, Akainu spoke up again.

"The son of the Pirate King, Roger and the son of the Revolutionary Dragon," he said, his eyes shadowed over for a moment as he glared down at Ace with a merciless look in his eyes. "To imagine their sons have met and have become brothers is a frightening thought," Akainu went on, "But know that your very bloodlines are a sin of the highest order. Your fates have long since been decided. I don't care if every other pirate escapes here, not even Devil Eyes Amethyst, But I will not allow you two to leave here alive."

Those words were filled with such conviction, a belief, that Luffy and Ace shouldn't exist. As far as he was concerned, these two brothers were born as nothing but evil. Who needed to be snuffed out as if they were some deadly plague. And he was going to be the one to do so.

And that desire to kill was mightier than that of a lightning strike or an earthquake, it shook with cruelty and disgust. His merciless gaze that tore through Ace as he laid on the floor, ready for the kill.

Akainu looked down at Ace with disgust once more, before he leered, "Now take a good look..."

But what happened next was not something that anyone there had imagined. Akainu turned his beady eyes towards that of something else... or more... someone else.

Ace suddenly gasped in realisation, jerking his head up, knowing what he was going to do. "WAIT!" he screamed out as Akainu jumped clean over him and flew through the air to where his true target was the whole time.

Akainu was bolting straight for Luffy, his fists still billowing out clouds of smoke and lava, held high as Luffy didn't even realise his danger yet.

"LUFFY!" Ace screamed out, and like that, the pain he was in seemed to have vanished instantly as he got to his feet and ran, faster than the eye could see. There was a panic and fear in his eyes as he ran, nothing like ever before. Here, he ran faster than lightning as he turned to fire and flew forward just as Luffy heard his cry. He had been about to pick up the Vivre Card before he felt the heat on his face and looked up to see Akainu lunging straight at him. But he couldn't move, he froze there... whether it was from fear or exhaustion, who knows. But he was trapped.

And suddenly a ball of fire whizzed by and a wind blew, all that were there could only make out the symbol of a Whitebeard Pirate flying past them at top speed.

And then Akainu's fist flew down, falling straight towards Luffy, time slowing...

And then it happened...

The ball of fire that had raced by... was Ace. He ran forward and stepped directly between Luffy and Akainu, pausing only to push Luffy back just enough for him to stand there and spread his arms wide so that he acted as a shield for his little brother just as Akainu landed the blow... his fist colliding with Ace's back and bursting right through his chest.

Silence.

The red beaded necklace that Ace always wore had burst when the attack hit and the beads went flying in all different directions, the damage done, before they hit the ground. It didn't look real... like some kind of nightmare as time seemed to come to a stop. Ace had protected Luffy from Akainu... and he continued to stand their with a fist of Lava bursting through him.

Time had passed, agonisingly slow, Ace opened his mouth and coughed up blood and Luffy jerked a little as if he just realised what had happened. He was staring, eyes wide and full of disbelief as he looked at Ace, who still stood there, gritting his teeth hard as if he accepted what he had done. As he coughed up blood again, Luffy couldn't help but mutter his name. "A-ace..."

Akainu just stood there with his arm continuing to burn, with Ace still refusing to let out a cry of pain.

But at last, Akainu heaved his fist out with a terrible squelching noise. But still, Ace continued to stand there even as there was a giant hole in him, fire still burning around the edges, obscuring the inside. His eyes were completely blank as they shadowed over... but he didn't seem to be able to hold it back any longer and a massive amount of blood burst from his mouth.

That was finally enough for Luffy to push himself up, any injuries had been completely forgotten as he screamed out, "ACE!"

At his name, it was as if someone turned the sound back on, re-started time, there were screams of confusion and panic coming from all around them as Whitebeard Pirates screamed out Ace's name, some running in to help, other's stationary where they stood. But the only one who had Luffy's attention was Ace, who was struggling to breathe and Akainu who was towering over the both of them.

The Whitebeard pirates were soon all firing at Akainu, determined to stop him and make him pay for what he had done to Ace. But their attacks were as effective as one's would be against a Logia user, and only proved to do nothing as he reformed his body that was shot at.

"It's no good! There's no stopping this guy!" One of the pirates cried out in horror as Akainu rose up as if he were rising from the pits of hell. It frightened them all. He looked down at the barely breathing form of Ace and Luffy seemed to be at a complete loss, not knowing what to do, looking desperately for someone to help, someone to do something.

"Seems you still have some life in you, Fire-fist," Akainu said as he raised up his fist once more and magma started to billow out.

Luffy saw the fire and seemed too numb from shock to do anything as he whispered in hardly a whisper, "Stop it..." but then his anger seemed to return as his eyes narrowed and he screamed out, "STOP IT!"

But still Akainu, continued forward, moving in for the kill, Yet Ace was spared this much as another stepped in front of him to take the hit.

Standing protectively in front of the two brother's was Jimbei, using his bare hands and actually catching Akainu's punch with his bare hands as Lava burst out around in a miniature explosion.

"Jimbei!" Luffy screamed, but still Jimbei held his own, refusing to back down even as his hands were burned.

"No!" he hollered, grinding his teeth, in the effort to hold back the pain and stand his ground. "I will not let you hurt him again!"

"Quit this pointless stalling, Jimbei!" Akainu yelled, seriously pissed off that Jimbei had stopped him and was now attempting to force his way through and get to the two being protected behind him. "You used to be a warlord! I am sure you recall how strong I am!"

"If by tearing this body apart, I can delay you in the slightest, then I am content!" Jimbei declared, struggling with the effort of holding on but refusing to let Akainu have his way. "I have already accepted my death!"

The flash from Akainu's anger was enough to create a blast of heat, burning everything it touched, but it never got close to Luffy and Ace as Jimbei shielded them from the full brunt of it.

In the end, Jimbei's defense was strong enough to hold out against Akainu's offense and the blast forced the admiral back several yards but it did it's damage, burning his webbed hands severely.

"So, I need to punish you too, traitor," Akainu hissed, his melting arm bubbling over as he held up his fist, looking ready to start punching again.

"Jimbei!" someone ordered from behind, "Get down!"

Surprise went across Jimbei's face at the sound of the voice but he ducked down as two figures flew over his head and straight at Akainu. It turned out to be Marco and Vista both looking quite beat up but alive as they charged at him, Vista slashing furiously and Marco, who had finally gotten free of his cuffs, had his arms transformed into wings and his feet in the shape of bird claws.

They had succeeded in drawing blood as they attacked the Admiral, indicating the use of Haki. Yet, their faces were still, contorted with grief and rage, they had made it too late, hadn't gotten their in time when it mattered.

"How irritating," Akainu grunted as he reformed himself and turned back to look at the pair of them calmly. "You Haki users are always so annoying."

"For a moment of neglect, I feel boundless regret," Vista stated, holding his swords steady, yet there was a shake to his voice as he steadied his blades against Akainu.

"How could we let this happen!?" Marco demanded, sounding repulsed with himself, how could he let it get this far.

A wind started to blow, whistling eerily, temperature dropping and something in everyone there seemed to crash into dread, a morbid foreboding, everyone thinking it may have to do with the failure of being able to save Ace.

But then suddenly a darkness started taking over the sky, lightning and thunder roaring, clouds gathering and covering up the once clear sky, darkness stretching out, spreading like a shadow over the battlefield, swallowing all sources of light. A chill sweeping over everyone that was there, when all eyes landed on one person... a form floating in the air, hair that was once the colour of pale blonde, matted with blood, now long past their knees, the colour of obsidian licking their hairline and spreading to dye it black, unruly and floating, frayed everywhere. Their nails turning the same colour, skin as pale and as white as snow. All the while blood dripped from every wound in their body adding to the horror that was their presence.

But their eyes, their eyes were as pitch black as a starless night, a void of complete darkness, resting on a face contorted with such rage, such hatred, that even Akainu grimaced at the sight of such an expression.

"Amethyst..." Marco choked out in horror.

* * *

 _"Wait, red eyes are your second strongest stage? What's the strongest stage?"_

 _"I haven't used it before but I've had dreams about it... more so nightmares, My hair colour changed, my nails changed, my skin became pale, my voice even changed, it's not something I would ever want to actually ever change into... you should've seen it."_

 _"That bad? What colour were your eyes in your nightmares?"_

 _"...Black"._

* * *

She was seething with rage, everything seemed to fall into place and she wanted to kill... and kill and kill until the ground was painted with red, painted with his blood, he who had the audacity to touch... let alone hurt _him_ , a sinister smile, spreading across her lips as she stared down the admiral, she looked like something out of your worst nightmare, her hands moving jerkily as it seemed she was trying to control her untamed madness.

 **"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU,"** she snarled, voice dripping with malice, tone sounding psychotic, like their were multiple voices layered over her actual voice. **"EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"**

Flames suddenly ignited around the Admiral, forcing the two commanders and Jimbei to jump away. Black flames licked all around the Admiral, the edges licking with green, Akainu tried to move, tried to fight back, get away but he couldn't move, his eyes wide in shock as he started to feel actual pain, burning and searing pain as the black flames started to devour his magma body, his hands catching fire and bubbling, but this time not with lava, but from the burns that appeared, bubbling and melting his skin, then spreading up his arms, down his torso and towards his feet. His face the only thing that was showing, the only thing not being swallowed by the black inferno.

She floated downwards and into the fire, then appearing in front of the Admiral, the flames not affecting her in the least as they seemed to just float off of her pale skin. She floated towards his face, now within breathing distance and she grinned malevolently.

 **"I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL"** she hissed out before his entire body went up in flames, screams of pain echoing through the entire battlefield, that seemed to freeze in silence at the sight. And then the screams and screeches died down to a gurgle, the flames dying down along with it and in the spot where he stood, there was nothing but a bubbling pit of blood.

She turned her attention to the marines that were in her sights and multiple cracks were heard, one after the other like a rhythm that was sure to leave some haunted by the sound. All the marines that were in front of her, dropping dead as their entire bone structure was shattered.

She floated upwards, higher and higher into the sky, arms open and wide and then she turned her attention towards the plaza, aiming to end the lives of all that she chose, more cracks were heard, black flames appearing all over, slowly killing the marines one by one.

"AM!" She heard a voice scream out to her, her killing spree stopped abruptly, her head snapped down, head tilting in a menacing manner and she came into eye contact with Luffy, looking up at her with eyes of horror and pleading. He was holding Ace in his arms and then the black on her body started to subside, melting away and leaving the normal colour spreading in their wake. Flames all over the battlefield dying out, marines no longer being picked off. Dark skies starting to recede, lightning and thunder simpering away.

And then she was falling.

Falling through the sky, body limp. She then felt herself being caught, now floating downwards at a gentle pace, until she was laid on the ground. She looked up and saw Marco, looking down at her with a look of worry and scepticism.

"Mar...co... take me to Luffy..." she whispered out and he nodded his head then carried her over towards the two brothers, hearing a conversation going on between the two. As she reached them she was laid down on the right side of Luffy, so that she could see Ace's face.

"Am... you have to do something... I-Iva said she can't do anything... you said that dream said we could save him, right?" Luffy choked out as he looked at her desperately.

She reached her hand out shakily and grabbed a hold of Ace's arm, only her eyes and hair turning back to black, she felt the blood pooling around her and she finally knew that this was the moment.

She brought his hand towards her chest and placed it right over her heart. Her mind started to wander and she got flashes of different memories, of her and of him, but all different, like they were all from a different time, a different life, future and past. And words popped into her head that she had never thought of, yet, felt so familiar.

And as she opened her mouth, she let those words slip out, like she had known them her whole life.

"I give you all that I can give you, so that you may live. I sacrifice half of my heart and soul, so that yours may be repaired."

And then just as suddenly her back arched violently and she started to scream, she was screaming bloody murder as her body convulsed and jerked violently, tears of searing pain falling rapidly down her face. She could vaguely hear her name slip through Ace's lips, his hand weakly trying to grip her own but the pain... she felt such excruciating pain, like her entire body was boiling from the inside out, like her body was trying to rip itself in two. She screamed and she screamed and all that were there could only watch in horror, wanting to cover their ears from the sound, that resembled that of a wounded and dying animal.

And then her back dropped back to the ground, a red orb covered in a golden light that forced people to squint or cover their eyes at how bright and beaming it was. It floated out of her chest, lifting her a bit as it exited. It floated away from her and then hovered over Luffy and Ace, before descending onto Ace, entering through the hole in his body and floating near the middle.

Suddenly bits of flesh started to attach itself to the orb, like a magnet, skin started to regrow and the hole started to get smaller and smaller, filling up, bones reappearing, veins, arteries all repairing themselves around the orb, the glow that surrounded it then being absorbed into the body, leaving the red orb that could then be seen as a heart.

It was halved but slowly but surely... it started to form into a whole, enlarging till it looked healthy and normal, then the hole closed, leaving no scar and no trace of what was there in the first place.

Ace suddenly jerked violently and let in a huge gasp of air, followed by more jerky and ragged gasps of air.

"Ace...?" Luffy whispered in disbelief and hope that he wasn't dreaming as he no longer felt the deathly wound beneath his hand. He was replied with a fit of coughs and Ace rolling over and falling on the left side of Luffy. His eyes wide and chest moving up and down irregularly, arms and legs twitching now and then.

After a few minutes he got his breathing back to a normal rate but was still breathing quite heavily, he felt different, better, he felt emotions rush through him and then stop at one... he felt... content, but a sense of dread started to settle in his chest as he thought of the repercussions of what she just did... he didn't exactly understand what she did.

He lifted his hand and placed it on his chest, feeling the heartbeat, the beautiful and calming heartbeat, he then turned his head and locked eyes with Amethyst, who was facing him, dread momentarily flying out the window as he saw her smile.

She let out a breath of relief and her eyes and hair faded back to normal. "Hey..." she whispered out breathily. He smiled at her, deciding not to question what she just did and replied back, "You're going to be the death of me... you and my idiot brother..."

She grinned, amusement and joy gleaming in her eyes, "If I do recall... I'm pretty sure I just brought your dying ass back to life..." she responded jokingly, she then started to cough violently, body shaking by the sheer force, it then stopped and she stilled, turning her head back towards Ace and smiling as she saw the expression of worry.

Luffy who was kneeling in between them then turned around and collapsed on both of them, arms bringing them close to him as he started to cry, calling out Ace's name in relief, anger and happiness all mixed in one.

"Ace Ace Ace Ace AceAceAceAce _AceAceAce_ ** _AceAce_** "

"Lu, I'm fine! now stop crying!" Ace shouted half-heartedly, trying to sound angry but failing miserably as he also felt relief at the fact that he was alive and Luffy was also alive.

"B-but you n-nearly died!" Luffy blubbered as he refused to let go and only held on tighter to the both of them.

"Why am I included in this squash fest?" Amethyst rasped out as she felt her breathing become harder from the death grip he had on her, her breathing coming out jerky and uneven.

"B-because you were scary! And screaming... I thought y-you were going to die too! You said if Ace died... you'd d-die too!" he cried out, tears now soaking the two older ones.

Ace smirked at that. "You were going to die with me, huh? I thought someone was still mad at me," he remarked cheekily.

No response.

"Oh come on... the silent treatment?"

Silence.

"Am?"

Luffy sat back up and he looked down at Amethyst who had a smile on her face, eyes closed as she faced the sky. Ace reached his hand out and gently caressed her cheek, trying to get a reaction out of her, "Ammy?" he whispered out, only for her head to fall limply to the side. His eyes widened.

"Ammy!" he shouted out, trying to get her attention, but she remained unresponsive.

Ace shot up and ignored the pain in his body, he moved towards her and grabbed her face in his hands, patting her cheeks lightly.

Marco then showed up quickly on the other side of her and put his face near her mouth, listening for something, he then visibly relaxed. "It's fine Ace, she's breathing, she just passed out," he said calmly.

A voice boomed over them, a shadow casting over their bodies, they looked up and saw Whitebeard. "Everybody get to the ships, she has given us enough time to escape," Whitebeard said fondly, looking at all of his men before continuing, "...Together."

All the pirates around started to cheer in victory as they realised that both Whitebeard and Ace were able to come back out of this war, thanks to Amethyst.

"Remind me never to piss her off that much," Thatch said, suddenly showing up out of the blue, blood dripping from multiple wounds on his body. Everyone there smiled or laughed at that, silently agreeing. All that knew her felt especially shaken at the sight of her, it was like she was a completely different person.

Marco hoisted her up in his arms, carrying her bridal style and looked at Thatch. "Help up Ace and his brother," he said and Thatch quickly went into action and helped them both up, wrapping one arm around Ace's torso.

"Thanks Pineapple head guy!" Luffy exclaimed excitably, feeling over-joyed that everyone was okay, especially Ace.

Marco groaned in annoyance, ignoring the snickers that were spreading around from all the people there and he glanced at Amethyst, before looking back at the boy. "I'm surprised you and her aren't brother and sister," he remarked dully.

"We are!"

A silence seemed to stretch across the bay as they tried to register the information that was just provided, now looking back and forth in confusion between Ace and Amethyst.

Ace cut in this time, "Her and Luffy made a promise or something to become siblings when I was down in Impel Down," he tried to explain, so they would stop giving him judgmental glares. It did little to simmer down the confusion and the slight glances between Amethyst and Ace.

"It seems that there's much to talk about, but first we need to get out of here, Amethyst has gotten rid of most of the threats and I'm sure they have now realised their defeat, so let us all go now," Whitebeard commanded, voice roaring with pride and satisfaction and everyone their cheered in victory again, everyone finally feeling a bit of good emotions blossom in their chests for the first time since the war started, they had Ace and now they didn't have to leave their father and Captain behind.

* * *

 _She was walking, she felt like she had been walking for the longest time, she looked around and everything was white, a stark contrast to the black that she remembered, she questioned why she was walking and then stopped abruptly, turning around and squinting. She could've sworn that she heard someone calling out her name._

 _'Amethyst, you must keep walking.'_

 _She whipped her head around, it was that voice again, she opened her mouth and this time she could speak clearly._

 _"Where am I?"_

 _'You are following a path that many before you have, the price of the sacrifice that you made'_

 _Amethyst nodded in vague understanding and started to walk forward again, she counted her steps as she did so, watching her bare feet move forward, guiding her along the path to which she knew nothing about._

 _She stopped again and whipped her head around, she heard it again... the voice calling out to her. "Someone... I feel like someone needs me..." she whispered, her chest was pulling her in the opposite direction than her feet were._

 _'You must keep walking forward, Amethyst'_

 _She turned back around and started to walk forward again, letting her feet guide the way and ignoring the pull in her chest, the voice in her heart telling her to turn tail and run towards the voice that was calling out to her._

 _As she walked on, she felt her chest constrict painfully, tears falling from her eyes, a loneliness was starting to fill up inside her, cold and empty. "Why do I feel like this?"_

 _'As I have said before, you will face the darkness that you once had to, before finding freedom'_

 _"But... how?" she asked confused as she walked forward, she didn't know how she could get back to being a slave from here... or is that where her feet are leading to?_

 _'You assume that you will be returning to being a slave, no, your darkness was never really that... your dark past is alone, you will be alone but... that is the price you were willing to pay.'_

 _Her eyes widened but then she relaxed, it was worth it, it was all worth it... she remembered seeing his face, his smiling face as he looked at her, he was alive, she had saved him. And she was happy._

 _She then heard the voice again, the entire dreamscape seemed to shake violently and she fell to her knees. "What's happening?" she questioned shakily._

 _'It seems things aren't going as they usually do." the voice remarked in surprise but yet still stayed calm._

 _Amethyst stood up and turned back to where the voice had come from. She then felt herself moving slowly towards it, it was pulling her like a magnet. She felt that something important was trying to reach out of her._

 _'Is this the path you're choosing?'_

 _"I... I don't know... I just can't get rid of this feeling that I need to follow the voice."  
_

 _'Well, it seems that you two are destined for a different fate than the ones before you.'_

 _Amethyst felt her feet walking faster as the voice grew louder and louder._

 _'...But... I cannot make things easier for you, your life is one that isn't suppose to find happiness, one of such untamed power and origins should never have been born... always destined for loneliness and a life full of turmoil...'_

 _The voice kept speaking and going on, as she now started to run towards the voice, a smile appearing on her face as she got closer, now seeing a light up ahead._

 _'You will be put through a test, whether you fail or succeed is up to the both of you, take care... Amethyst Lilith Leila Malach'_

 _And then she broke through the light._

* * *

Marco stood in front of the closed door, hesitating on whether he should knock or not... but then he did, he lifted his hand, letting it hover for a moment before knocking softly "Ace...? You in there?" he asked, he knew that he would be, he never left that room.

No response.

He opened the door ever so slowly and peered into the room that was strewn with light, yet held such a gloomy atmosphere. There he saw Ace, lying on the bed, in the same position that he's been since...

"Ace... it's been months, you have to stop doing this, we're all waiting for her to wake up."

Ace only closed his eyes, holding the girl that was in his arms, closer to his chest, she hadn't woken up since that day, since the day that she had saved him, saved all of them. At first he was patient, he waited and waited and then he got sad... face starting to grimace every so often, mind drifting and smiles becoming less frequent. He then got angry and frustrated that she wouldn't get up, wouldn't respond to his voice or his touch or his desperation just to see her open her eyes... she lay there, a smile still on her face but completely unresponsive.

And then he cried, the whole ship had heard him cry, it was shocking, heart-wrenching, no one had heard or seen him cry before and then all of a sudden for hours.. that was all they heard, him crying and shouting... they would glance in the room and see him holding onto her, guilt and longing written all over his face and whispering 'Just come back to me' over and over... then just as fast they would see emptiness.

The last time they had seen him smile genuinely was when he sent his little brother off to train with Rayleigh. That was almost six months ago.

"I need her Marco," he whispered finally, voice strained and yet held little to no emotion. "I didn't get to do anything for her. I've never loved or wanted someone like I do her... why doesn't anyone get that?" he continued, voice tinging with anger.

"We do get it, but we can't just let you mope around and throw your health down the drain because there could be a huge chance that she may never-"

"SHUT UP!" Ace yelled in anger, cutting him off, glaring at his best friend who dared to even imply that she wouldn't wake up. "Just... get out Marco..." he hissed, looking away from him and back to the girl in his arms.

Marco sighed in frustration and turned to walk out but not before saying, "She wouldn't want you acting like this." And then he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Silence.

He squeezed her to his chest, holding tighter than ever as his chest held a familiar pain, it was like he could feel her heartbeat in his own, but it was faint, barely there. He felt pain if he even stayed away too long, so he decided to just stay by her side. He was a pirate, someone who was free and was held back by nothing and no one... but as he looked at her face and remembered her smile, her voice, her... everything... he couldn't fathom how he could ever just... move on. He never did think he would fall in love, never thought he would find someone worth as much as she did. He wasn't a stranger to intimacy... he was a pirate after all, but he never did feel appealed at the idea of really _having_ someone.

Until he met her, at first he thought maybe she was someone that he just wanted to protect like his cry baby little brother... but then he started to notice things... the way she would rub her hands together when she was nervous... the crease between her eyebrows that would appear when frustrated... the way she would bite her lip when she concentrated on something... her eyes darting around unconsciously when she would want him near her, her pulling a strand of hair behind her ear when she felt self conscious. The subtle looks that she would give when she thought he didn't notice, the look in her eyes always left him breathless, how could someone like her... see someone like him, in the way that her eyes showed... as if he were her... everything, it made him question himself.

He watched her when she would close her eyes and be deep in thought, analysing her slender nose, her freckles that dashed across her cheeks, her plump, naturally pink lips and then she would open her eyes again and he would look at her breath taking eyes, staring back at him.

She was nothing yet everything that he had ever wanted.

Now as he watched her, everything was dull, he didn't know what to do with himself, as if he was re-learning how to live a life without her... and failing miserably. He felt pathetic, letting himself be dragged down like this.

He sighed and opened his eyes, he didn't want to admit it but he knew what Marco said was true, she would be pissed at him, seeing him like this.

So at first he cursed and then he sat up, letting her go and placing her gently back on the bed and out of his embrace.

He stood up and looked down at her, moving the hair out of her face and placing a small kiss to her forehead, he placed his hat beside her head and then walked out. He felt the pain in his chest return but instead of going back in, he kept walking until he got to the deck, everyone there looked at him in surprise, but he just kept walking until he got to the old man.

He jumped up on his leg and laid out, eyes closed and breathing calm, he placed his arm over his eyes and just lay there.

"So, you've decided to come out of hiding," Whitebeard said, amusement in his voice but he too still felt sadness for the girl that remained unmoving.

"I... I'm sorry..." Ace responded softly, he felt guilty about the way he brushed everyone off, while he was going through the motions.

A light laugh echoed over the ship. "Don't be sorry, brat. You love her," Whitebeard replied.

"Yeah, but so do all of you."

"Yes, but I'm sure you know that our love for her and yours are two very different things, you're _in_ love with her, not everyone is lucky enough to find that someone," he replied wisely, a smile on his face. "You both are similar, hard-headed, stubborn, reckless and both love unconditionally," he said, eyes twinkling with amusement. "You'll get there son."

Ace smiled softly and nodded in agreement even though he wasn't done waiting and he was far from giving up.

* * *

Amethyst felt warm... very warm. Her eyes fluttered open, closing them straight away as she was nearly blinded by light. She squinted and waited for her eyes to adjust, when her eyes full adjusted to the room, she saw him... Ace... her Ace.

She lifted her hand and gingerly ran it against his cheek, playing connect the dots, with her finger on his freckles, she suppressed the urge to cry, the dream was like an opening to a book about herself that she could never unlock before now, she understood more yet felt like she understood so much less. She watched as his eyes shot open in surprise at her attack on his face and look at her with equal disbelief, shock and relief.

He held his breath, not knowing if it was real, if he was just imagining it and then she moved her hand, her finger tracing the bridge of his nose, moving across his cheeks, down to his lips and tracing over them ever so gently, her eyes trailing from his lips then up to his eyes and then she spoke, "Hi..."

Ace's eyes began to water and he pulled her to his chest, chin on her head as he didn't want her to see him cry. He buried his face in her hair, fingers digging almost painfully into her back. "Don't do that ever again!" he said into her hair.

She pushed away from him a bit so that she could look at his face, she grinned at him, not questioning anything, digging her hand into his dark locks and placed her lips onto his, he responded immediately, her lips soft and warm, he tasted and memorised the flavour and the shape of her lips tentatively with his own, she tasted like vanilla and mint, they pulled away only to mesh back together, kissing like they were breathing until they finally let go, it wasn't intense or sloppy, it wasn't chaste or sweet, it was something all together and in between, just right.

She looked him in the eyes and her eyebrows furrowed a bit, smile faltering a tad and eyes flashing briefly with pain before going back to normal, grinning wider than before, hand winding itself in his hair, intertwining with the silky locks and she spoke sweetly and softly, "I love you." She tried to convey so much in those three words, she knew that she didn't have much time...

The tone of her voice jarred something in him, there was too much finality in it, he looked at her with worry, reaching his hand up to caress her cheek, her own hand moving to cover it, she grabbed it and brought it to her lips, brushing her lips tenderly against his palm. He felt tears prick in the corners of his eyes and he leaned down, laying his head on her chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I love you too."

She smiled, placing her chin on top of his head and arms winding around his shoulders. "Sleep... Ace."

His eyes closed tightly, tears slipping out and rolling down his face to fall to her chest, he held on tighter and took in her body, molding perfectly in his, he focused on her heartbeat and her breathing. "I'm scared," he choked out, feeling like he knew where this was going.

She ran her fingers through his silky soft waves and placed a small kiss to his forehead before saying, "Don't be."

"...Please don't leave me."

"You'll be fine... it will be like I was a dream, a short but beautiful dream... you'll wake up and-" she felt herself choke up, eyes gathering with tears before continuing. "And everything will be as if nothing happened."

He felt his heart fill with dread and guilt. "Why... why'd you have to do that?" he questioned, he wasn't quite sure of what she did exactly but he knew that she gave up something so that he would live, he could feel it in his chest that he knew more yet oddly as if he had always known it but not until she made her sacrifice did he realise it.. and now...

"Moron... we may be similar but there's a stark difference between us," she said softly, all the while stroking his hair. "You can live without me. You've lived without me before and you can do it again... but me? I was never living until I met you and I could never live a life without you in it... you can and maybe one day, if fate allows, we'll come back to each other." She pushed him away slightly so that she could look into his eyes. "But until then, you have to live... without me."

He looked at her and shook his head. "But you're here, you woke up, you already came back to me, you're alive... and you're okay," he said stubbornly.

"You and me both know that you're not one to fool yourself," she said, eyes twinkling with sadness. "But yes, I'm here... just sleep Ace."

They stayed like that, embraced in each others arms, not speaking, not moving, just staring, drinking the other in until they fell asleep. Both dreaming and wishing that the inevitable that they were bracing for would never come.

* * *

 _A wind blew that day, full force and full of hope and grief, things became a beginning to an end, endings becoming beginnings to a new path towards... whatever the future held. The wind searched and touched all that had memory of the forbidden soul, it wiped clean and left blank, a page of renewal._

* * *

"Hey, Ace, seems like your little brother found a new crew member during his defeat of Big Mom." Marco remarked lazily, looking up at the fire-user sprawled out on his father's leg, like any other normal and somewhat routine day.

Ace sat up with a new burst of energy and disbelief. "That moron took on an Emperor!? Doflamingo was one thing but an Emperor!?"

"Yup, " Marco replied, popping the 'p' "Come on Ace, after Marineford you can't seriously still think of your brother as someone you need to protect... But that's not the main point."

Ace felt himself sigh in exasperation, "And what is the point of you telling me this then if not to inform me of my little brothers idiocy and recklessness?"

"The new crew mate is someone with a bounty of three hundred and ninety million berries and that is only their third bounty," He quickly continued, seeing the growing disinterest in his brothers eyes. "They are also someone that we have been trying to find information on the past two years," he responded, delighted at the new reaction of interest he was getting.

Whitebeard spoke up finally, voice full of amusement, "And who might this mysterious person be, son?"

Marco jumped up to sit on Whitebeard's other leg and threw the bounty poster that was in his hand at Ace, who caught it and looked at it frantically as if it were a puzzle to solve.

"It's that girl that killed Akainu before Ace's stubbornness got him killed at Marineford, seems like she finally came out of hiding and is now apart of his brothers crew."

Ace ignored the snarky comment and looked at the photo, he recognised the girl, hair long and flowing, the colour of black, skin pale and blood covered her body but the upper half of her face was covered by a lace mask, hiding her expression but doing little to hide the cold obsidian eyes. "How'd she get her first bounty again?" he questioned, eyes never leaving the photo.

Marcos tongue clicked in amusement. "She killed a Celestial Dragon. But she obtained most of her bounty because nobody knows anything about her, no name, no face, no origin, it's like her face changes all the time. Not even the government knows anything about her, she's a complete mystery with abilities that no one can explain," he informed.

Ace looked at the picture, eyes showing interest but no source of recognition other than that of a fleeting encounter at one time, his hand rose subconsciously and pressed against his chest, feeling the rising heartbeat beneath his palm, he looked at the name and felt himself become even more interested, letting it slip through his lips in a whisper,

" _The Masked Demon_ "

"Oi idiot! You aren't getting chest pains again, are you?" An annoyed yet worried voice asked suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

"I'm fine April." he said reassuringly, to the worried doctor watching his subconscious hand movements.

Whitebeard spoke up again, "Well, it would seem we have a few people to visit, now don't we? I think it is due time we see that cheeky brat of a brother of yours Ace, especially seeing as he has arrived in the New World for sometime now."

Ace threw the poster back to Marco who jumped down and proceeded to pin it on the wall where most of the bounty posters of Allies, Crew members and few rising rookies were pinned up.

"It has been a while since I last saw him, I heard he has quite a few new members on his crew, I should check them out... I am still his big brother after all," he said, a smirk tugging at his lips. He was excited to see his brother but he felt even more intrigued with seeing his new crew members.


	15. Chapter 15: Beginnings

_**Disclaimer: I own zilch...**_

 _A/N: You wouldn't believe the Tornado called 'drama' I was thrown into these past few months, serving as the reason for my long absence, I swear my family is trying to send me to a mental institution with the mind-fucking they're doing... *Sighs* ... but family is family, I suppose._

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 15.**

* * *

She would stare out towards the sea, searching, she knew why, she knew she shouldn't, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stop... somewhere out there he was living... without her... without so much as a thought or memory of her... and it hurt. Admittedly she was hurt but she was never angry... she never could be when it came to him, even though she's rough around the edges and even though she comes off as such a hateful and emotionless being, she's never been mad at him, she's been annoyed, frustrated and yes, she's been hurt by him, both physically and emotionally. She feels herself cringe at the thought, even though when memories were wiped and scars along with them, the mental and emotional scarring never left.

She tried reaching out once after months of forcing away her desires, despite the gnawing in her chest telling her not to, telling her it wasn't right, telling her you'll only do more harm than good. But she didn't listen and she gave in, it was a mistake.

* * *

 _Amethyst couldn't take it, she needed to see him._

 _And so she appeared on his ship, invisible from prying eyes, she looked around and saw many that she loved and cherished but not the one she was looking for, but their faces were full of such torment, such worry that it had her feeling uneasy._

 _She walked the path to his room that she had memorised and walked down so many times that she had to stop the feeling of nostalgia knocking her off her path. She peered through the open door and saw nobody there, she felt the air of the room and it felt... the same. Like nothing had changed, life went on as if everything was normal... and it stung a bit to know that she was completely forgotten. She thought maybe... just maybe something had changed, that there would be a void or atmosphere that would indicate some sort of unknowing or incomprehensible longing. But there was nothing._

 _She walked away from the room and heard screaming of frustration, she felt the corners of her mouth quirk upwards at the familiar voice of an annoyed doctor._

 _She walked towards the oh too familiar infirmary to which she felt that she had spent way too much time in. She leaned on the wall beside the doorway and listened to what she would possibly be frustrated about._

 _"I don't know what's wrong! It's like everything is fine with him, he's in excellent if not perfect health!"  
_

 _"Well, obviously not April! He was just fine a couple minutes ago and then BAM! He collapsed to the ground groaning and started saying his chest felt like it was going to explode!"_

 _Amethyst felt her curiosity peak at the sound of Thatch's voice filled such frustration, worry taking over as well and walked into the not so private room. Her eyes widened in shock and if she weren't so in control of her powers now, she would've let her ability slip._

 _There he was... Her Ace. But he looked like he was in so much pain, he was sweating, face flushed and scratch marks on his chest as if he had been clawing at it, trying to make it... stop hurting. He was biting his lip, looking like it was taking pure willpower to not scream in pain._

 _She walked closer to him and stopped abruptly when he screeched in pain, blood running down his chin as she realised that he had cut down the scream by ripping into his lip so that he wouldn't be as loud as he wanted to be._

 _April spoke up then, "Ace... What's wrong? I don't understand what's wrong."_

 _His eyelids were clenched closed and at her voice he opened them, looking straight at the doctor, she almost gasped at the pain that reflected in his eyes._

 _Amethyst stumbled backwards at the look in his eyes and she saw it soften a bit, she took another step back and his breathing went from ragged to slightly calmer. She was now outside of the infirmary and his hands that were once painfully scratching at his chest were now only gripping tightly._

 _Her hand flew to her mouth, tears tumbling out of her pale eyes as she realised this was her fault. Her presence was causing him pain._

 _So she turned, running out of the ship and disappeared. Never turning back._

* * *

She knew that she would need him to remember, he had to come to her, he needed to remember... she wanted him to remember. Even though it was selfish, even though he was living a good life, the life he deserved and loved to live, no one holding him back and completely free. But she needed him, she had never been selfish her entire life, always giving in and letting things just happen... but she was selfish when it came to wanting him.

Amethyst didn't know exactly when it happened, but Ace became... more, she can't explain it fully in words but he became so much more than a love than a saviour, so much more than just a comforting presence full of warmth and protection.

He became her soul, half her soul to be exact. She gave it to him, half of her heart and soul, it wasn't something that was taken away as if she felt like without it she was going to have to learn to live without it, like if one would lose a limb. It was different like she just wasn't completely whole, her life had begun and ended with him and him alone.

It jolted her at first, not understanding how someone could feel that way about someone, but at the same time it was like she felt exactly the same yet so much more like she had already felt that he was apart of her and yet was never truly explored until she gave herself to him like she had. It was something gratifying, rejuvenating and terrifying all wrapped in one. Like she had begun living when she met him but began thriving when she lost him. It was all so confusing but made sense. She doesn't think she could properly explain it in words, it was that... complex.

A lot of things changed when the wind blew, she felt it, it was both a physical change and not. A wind seemed to wash over her and everyone and she woke up, still in Ace's arms, she took one last look at his face and then she got up and walked out, she noticed many people were passed out, scattered all over the ship and she knew that the wind had been the cause, as she awoke they slept.

She gathered all of her belongings and quickly got changed before they all woke up from their force induced nap, she noticed differences in her appearance, her hair looked longer, silker, skin looked healthier, she saw herself in the mirror and she seemed to be glowing, she looked and felt bright for the first time in her life but the most prominent difference was what she lacked and that happened to be the lack of scars on her body, she turned around and saw that most of the scars on her back had also disappeared... along with the mark of the Whitebeards.

But one familiar scar was left behind... the burn, it was the only old scar that marred her otherwise skin. She scoffed as she looked at it as if things couldn't be harder, she now had a constant reminder of that one person. And also two new scars appeared that she was confused on why she had, they were like two large crescent moon scars, the scars framing around her shoulder blades, it looked like someone had sliced two chunks of flesh out of her back, they were gruesome looking. She gingerly ran her slender fingers across them and flinched at how sensitive they felt, though they were completely healed.

After gathering everything she went back inside the infirmary and glanced at Ace, eyes flitting towards his hat, grabbing it and taking two beads from it, apologising quietly for it as she then peers down at Ace. She reached out a hand caressing his cheek tenderly, brushing her fingers along his freckled cheek before leaning down and kissing him affectionately on the forehead.

"I love you."

She then went running off, slipping slightly as she stepped on something, she bent down and picked it up, it was a picture of her and Ace from when she was sleeping in his arms for the first time, she smiled at it, looking back at the sleeping man whom she loved one last time before disappearing from the ship, as if she was never there.

* * *

She travelled around constantly place to place, ship to ship, just looking for... god knows what.

She practised her abilities and gained control of them, a lot more than before, she could also access all forms of her power easily and sustain them longer but hardly ever used them unless need be.

And then she came across Luffy, coincidentally. She was trying to strengthen her physical skills and fighting abilities in an arena in a place called Dressrosa when she dropped out after seeing a certain someone... badly disguised join up too. It wasn't her first time seeing him after the change but it had been a while since the last time.

Admittedly she followed him around and saw many things that surprised her very much, one being a fanboy that was too passionate yet somewhat endearing, she also saw that Luffy had scarred pretty badly, which she cursed the wind for changing so much and then she found out that there was another brother... his name is Sabo, he had no resemblance to the other two, he was blonde, tall and had quite the scar on his face and she already knew who he was, he was the second in command of the Revolutionary Army, second only to Dragon himself. So they are a trio of brothers, Ace, Sabo and Luffy. Quite the group.

She didn't stick around much during the reunion or the apparent defeat of Doflamingo, instead, she went out to the docks to stow away on their ship but low and behold, it wasn't there. So instead she jumped on a different boat, one that looked very much like a homage to her little brother.

She was awoken from her sleep and watched Luffy and others pile on the ship in a hurry the next day, she looked up and saw that there was a sky full of rubble and trash, just floating midair, it was quite a shocking sight. She stood from where she was, cloaked in invisibility and looked for the source in which was doing this, it was similar to her power and no doubt was from someone very powerful. Her eyes landed on a man in purple cloak-like clothing and she saw his eyes severely scarred. She could tell they were self-inflicted, wasn't hard to notice when you looked harder and have seen the scars that she's seen in her lifetime, she could only imagine the horrors in which he had to face to do something like that, she couldn't blame him though, she also... a time or two had thought of doing such things as well.

She also could sense that he probably wasn't going to drop it on them, partly because he knew what Luffy had done was a great deed that no one else dared do and also partly because the citizens were in the way apparently trying to protect the pirates... how noble she thought.

She never realised how much she had missed Luffy until she watched him over time through his defeat of Big Mom and seeing the trials he and his crew went through was almost if not completely heartbreaking, but it wasn't something that was hers to butt into, so only after then when they all finally reunited did she show herself.

She admits that her joining the crew was a bit forced, unlike when she was asked before, she sort of just made her presence aware and never left, thankfully getting no objection from anyone at first... well at least not from anyone that greatly mattered to her... Luffy being that only person.

It was much like when she had abruptly landed on his ship the first time except not as welcoming in the sense that she was no longer connected to Ace or the Whitebeards in any way.

* * *

 _"Okay, that's it, whoever is out there come out now!" Zoro shouted in frustration not able to hold in the urking feeling of being watched, he stood up and peered around only to unsheath his sword when someone suddenly appeared next to him, sitting on the railing of sunny, chin in the palm of their hand as their arm was propped up by their knee._

 _By this time all of the Straw-hats were gathered on the deck looking at the person with guarded expressions on their face in defensive stances, not so much the blonde male but he still had a slightly defensive glint in his eyes, Luffy analysed the person and saw a faint glow seemed to surround them, coming from deep within their skin, not at all threatening looking but setting off bells of unfamiliarity._

 _"Oh come now, what's with this atmosphere? I almost feel unwelcomed," the stranger spoke with an amused expression to match the tone of voice._

 _The swordsman was the first to speak "Who are you?"_

 _The questioned person launched themselves up a bit and was now standing on the railing, walking nonchalantly back and forth in a pacing manor. "I'm sure the raven-haired woman would be able to recognise... I mean, the mask is obvious enough isn't it? but I guess my appearance is a bit different."_

 _Robin looked at the person and focused solely on the mask before her eyes flashed with recognition. "Are you the 'Masked Demon' the girl that saved Luffy and his brother at Marineford? With a newly bounty of 415 million beri?"_

 _Amethyst chuckled at the lengthy description and clapped a bit. "Yes," she said bowing in a semi-mocking way. "At your service."_

 _Luffy bounced in excitement as he remembered her. "You're the one that killed that magma-guy! You really saved me and Ace back there!" he exclaimed energetically, feeling grateful for her sudden appearance and taking out the threat before he could do more damage._

 _She jumped down now in front of the young captain who was merely a year younger than her and remembered their oath of brother-sister-hood, she had been watching him for a while now but it was different seeing him up close, he was a tiny bit taller, though he was always taller than her just by a couple inches._

 _She lifted her hand and reached out to him, aware of the atmosphere tensing with every inch closer to their captain she got. She placed her hand on his head and ruffled his hair fondly. "No problem." She looked down and frowned when she saw a gruesome scar on his chest that she had seen a lot as she watched him over the few months that she did, she always wondered how he got it as time changed so drastically since that day she awakened. "I guess I didn't save you as fast as I should've, huh?"_

 _The crew relaxed a little as they saw the look in the girls' eyes as the mask did little to hide her pale eyes, only serving to cover the upper half of her face... they all recognised that look it was a look they would all get when they looked or caught sight of the scar, knowing they failed at protecting and being there for their Captain._

 _Luffy looked down at the scar and grinned, shaking his head a little before saying, "Nah, I'm just glad you got there before he could hurt Ace, we wouldn't have made it out of there without your help... Oh! and the giant-moustache-guy that Ace likes, he was able to get treated and he's fine now too! You did a lot!"_

 _"He's right," Brook spoke up suddenly, gaining the attention of the girl, who had been dismissing their presence momentarily. "You were there even when we were not, we cannot thank you enough... thinking about what would've become of Luffy-san had you not appeared, always brings a pain to my heart... though I do not have a heart Yohohoho."_

 _Every one of the crew members seemed to agree as they solemnly thought about their separation, Amethyst felt bad for them, she could only imagine finding out that such things had taken place and not knowing anything about it until after the fact._

 _"Well, you guys are here now and you can make up for it from now on, so don't be so down on yourselves about it. I was just lucky and happened to come across it... in a way, plus one of you probably would've died," Amethyst said, dismissing their gratitude and guilt._

 _"Hey, Masked-sis! You can't say that! We would've kicked Super~ butt out there!" Franky shouted in disagreement, most of the crew agreeing with the sentiment._

 _"I'm not saying you guys were weak... not in the least, you're stronger now I'm guessing, so different story, but back then, at least a couple of you's would've died... realistically. Whitebeard and most of his men were much stronger than you and many of them died, so it would be very unrealistic if at least one of you didn't die." Amethyst explained with the utmost respect as to make them understand where she was coming from._

 _"She makes a good point, a few of us probably would have died," Robin said thoughtfully._

 _"DON'T SAY THAT SO CALMLY!" Usopp and Chopper shouted at her, though they couldn't exactly disagree, even feeling deep inside that they might've been that couple who were unlucky._

 _Luffy ignored the subject altogether and looked at the masked girl, his head tilting slightly. "Why are you here?" he asked curiously._

 _The whole crew then snapped back to focus and looked at the girl for an answer to the question as they were all understandably curious as well._

 _Amethyst smiled a little and leaned against the railing and looked at them all before leaning her head back to look at the sky, she grimaced slightly but it dissipated just as fast as it appeared but not fast enough as the whole crew caught it. "Would I sound stupid if I said I was lonely?"_

 _She heard nothing but silence and took that as a negative, closing her eyes sighing pathetically... 'of course it sounded stupid' she thought to herself. She felt someone grip her wrist and looked at who it was, seeing Luffy with a small grimace on his face, it really didn't suit him. "I don't like being lonely either, it's not stupid."_

 _She wasn't as shocked as she would've been had she not known Luffy, Luffy was one of a kind, after all. She let a small smile appear on her face before shaking off his grip and tapping his nose lightly before saying, "Well, I'm glad you think so."_

 _She looked at each person and saw nothing but understanding, a bit of scepticism and not fully trust but no judgement she smiled a bit and leaned against the railing, looking at them all before nodding slightly. "I guess it's settled then, I'll be staying here, thanks for the welcome," she said coolly._

 _"...What!?"_

 _Nami, Usopp and Chopper seemed to start flailing in confusion, stuttering out disagreement. "How did you deduct our silence as welcoming!?" Nami shouted._

 _"Mm! I guess it's settled then," Luffy said agreeing with a hard nod making the crew deflate in exasperation at his simple agreement, Usopp smacking him in the head but not getting any reaction from the air-headed captain._

 _Zoro sighed, bored with the situation already and going back to what he was doing beforehand. "Nothing you can do about it, Captain already agreed," he said nonchalantly._

 _Sanji cheered in excitement, hearts in his eyes as he twirled in the kitchen to make something as Nami shouted she was hungry to stop him from getting closer to the masked girl._

 _"Yohoho, I guess we have a new crew member then," Brook said amused at this whole process._

 _Amethyst was going to deny being apart of the crew but decided to leave it seeing as she knew Luffy wouldn't budge after agreeing with her. "If it's that much of a problem you can ask me anything if you're that sceptical of me," she said, seeing the varying expressions on the three cowardly ones and surprisingly also Robin._

 _"We can talk inside if that's more comfortable for you," Robin spoke up in a tone of something like curiosity mixed with another emotion Amethyst couldn't put her finger on._

 _Surprising everyone there Amethyst walked inside the ship before anyone else could, leading the way towards the dining room, Everyone except for Zoro following her inside._

 _She turned and went inside the dining room sitting down, smiling at Sanji who was in the kitchen, receiving a rather humorous reaction and then looking at everyone who had followed her, leaning her elbow on the table and placing her chin in her palm. She watched as they just stood there with dumb looks on most of their faces, Luffy being the only one to sit down beside her, a never fading grin on his face._

 _"Well, are you going to sit and talk or stand there all day?" Amethyst remarked with an amused tone._

 _"H-how did you know where to go? No one told you the direction to here," Chopper asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously._

 _Amethyst smirked a bit as if she was in on something that everyone else was oblivious to and she shrugged. "Lucky guess," she responded calmly._

 _They went to argue when they caught a glint in the girls' eyes that shut them up, it wasn't threatening or anything in that sense but it was like she was full of knowledge that was yet time to come out, a sort of untold secret yet to be revealed that they felt obligated not to push about... it was unnerving, to say the least, so they just all sat down, Luffy and Amethyst on one side and the rest on the other side._

 _"So... What's your name?" Usopp asked with a serious look on his face that Amethyst had to refrain from laughing at._

 _"It's... Amethyst," she replied watching their reactions and seeing none, in particular, feeling herself deflate inwardly at lack there of any sort of recognition._

 _Usopp rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner before nodding. "I guess we should introduce ourselves as well, hm?"_

 _"No that's fine, I know all of you," Amethyst cut in before they could introduce themselves to her. She saw the looks on their faces and mentioned their wanted posters._

 _They seemed to accept that answer and moved to the next question. "So you, uh, look a bit... um, how you say..."_

 _Amethyst laughed a bit at the stuttering navigator. "Different?" she finished for her._

 _"Yeah... why is that?"_

 _Amethyst closed her eyes and the crew appeared to go completely silent as they watched in a mix of fear and fascination as her golden hair started to change colour from her hairline as black seemed to take over, spread like ink, dying the one light coloured hair with a pitch darkness, as it reached the tips of her hair it started to grow longer, they also noticed that her skin colour started to become paler until it was a milky white almost seemingly translucent, lips appearing blood red against the pale colour. Her nails grew an inch and dyed black in a similar fashion to her hair._ _She then opened her eyes to reveal two black orbs of endless darkness._

 _The cowardly three and Brook screamed at the new look of the girl, Franky looking freaked out and Robin looking interested but also somewhat tense. Luffy looking at the girl with recognition as he remembered her looking like this when he first remembered encountering her. Sanji not really paying attention as he focused on making food for Nami and the other two girls._

 _"I can change the way I look as I please, it's all connected to my abilities and how I use them, you could say this is a certain demonstration of my most powerful form," Amethyst explained as her appearance started to turn back to normal._

 _"You have other forms then? May I see them?" Robin asked calmly, Luffy agreeing excitedly._

 _"They're not as drastic, only my eyes change," she said reassuringly as the others seemed to not want to see it._

 _They watched in fascination as her eyes turned white, then suddenly red flooded them before they changed back to their normal colour. She looked at their expressions and saw all the same looks as before._

 _"The red! I remember you, didn't you help me with Big Mom?" Brook inquired suddenly._

 _Amethyst waved off the question, "It was nothing, I just didn't want you to die, I did very little then I could have but it wasn't a fight I thought I should butt in on."_

 _"Well, I thank you, regardless," he said, bowing slightly to the girl._

 _"So you've been following us for a while?" Zoro questioned suspiciously to which she answered nonchalantly, "Right place at the right time, you could say."_

 _"What can you do exactly... ability wise?" Robin asked._

 _"I can do many things but the main abilities that I have are telekinesis, teleportation, invisibility and I have the ability to heal... and a couple of other things that aren't as important... I'd tell you everything but where's the fun in that?" she replied calmly._

 _"You're very powerful... overly so, what devil fruit is that?" Brook questioned interested in the girl and her abilities._

 _Amethyst stretched and let out a chuckle. "Everyone assumes I have a devil fruit... I don't... my powers are natural I was born with them."_

 _"Born with powers!? Who are your parents?! Monsters!?" Usopp screeched in indignation._

 _Amethyst grimaced at the thought of her parents but quickly tried covering it up with a small smile. "My parents... have nothing to do with my abilities... trust me," she responded smoothly._

 _"Touchy subject?" Franky questioned, catching the grimace. She looked at him, tapping her fingers against the table. "I don't like thinking about them much but I don't mind talking about them a bit if you want to know about it."_

 _They all watched her urging her to go on and explain, she giggled nodding her head and a thoughtful expression took over her face as she continued to tap her fingers on the table, the sound filling up the silence in the room, eyes darting to the side momentarily before flicking back to them with an expectant yet blank expression._

 _"I killed them both," She blurted out plainly._

 _"MONSTER!" Usopp shouts, hiding behind Franky, Chopper following after him, but the reaction that Amethyst was watching was Nami's... she looked angry... furious even at the statement._

 _"How... how could you do that? You killed your own parents?" Nami scoffed at the thought, hands clenching into fists before continuing, "You really are a demon." At this point, the mood had grown thick with tension and maybe this was the reason Zoro and Sanji happened to appear and sat down on opposite ends of the table._

 _Amethyst smiled nearly sinisterly at the girl, they could've sworn they saw red lick the corners of her eyes momentarily before disappearing, she responded almost mockingly, "You know nothing about me Nami... don't act as if you do... though I can't argue with the demon part, I guess it runs in the family."_

 _Robin rubbed Nami's back in a comforting way before speaking up, "I think it may not be that simple Nami." She turned to Amethyst and asked her why she would do that._

 _Amethyst looked at her fingers huffing in amusement or disgust, she wasn't sure, maybe both, before looking towards nothing really, eyes startlingly empty, everyone who saw the look feeling a sense of discomfort at seeing such... void of emotion._

 _"My father was a... well-known man and he was abusive, he killed me... on the inside every chance he got, so I returned the favour ten-fold," she revealed flatly, without going into too much detail but then she started to laugh humorlessly as she turned back to them and saw the shocked looks on everyone's faces, she felt her eyes well up but continued to laugh, looking like a mix between crazy and on the edge of a breakdown. "God... I hate that man... he was and is everything I hate about myself, every time I see myself," she put her head in her hands, nails digging into her forehead, eyes wide and unseeing, the crew seeing them through the gaps of her fingers, furrowing at the hatred and disgust shining in them before she continued, "...I see him and I just want to end it all... someone with blood as tainted as mine deserves nothing more than death."_

 _They watched as she seemed to emit a sort of dark aura, Luffy saw the glow that had been there dimming and all of them thought it best to not question her more about it... well most of them._

 _"Then why haven't you killed yourself?" Zoro butted in suddenly, Nami and Sanji going to hit him for such an insensitive thing to ask but Amethyst stopping them, by putting her hand up. She looked at the swordsman and watched as his expression remained blank, a stare-off that made a silence stretch before she gave in and let a smile reappear on her face._

 _"That's a good question..." She said, tapping her chin lightly before continuing, "You could say I have reasons to live now," she responded thoughtfully, Zoro's eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he saw her glance at Luffy, a soft look in her eyes that left him questioning who the girl truly was and her purpose for being there._

 _"Was your mother abusive as well?" Brook asked softly, trying not to sound too pushy as to make the girl uncomfortable._

 _She shook her head. "No... my mom was a victim of that man... I did something he didn't like and he had her killed because of it." They looked at her with sympathy, wondering what things she must've been through._

 _She felt a hand slip into hers and looked to see Luffy with his hat shadowing his eyes, gripping her hand firmly but gently._ _She felt her lips twitch slightly and squeezed his hand in reassurance then letting go of it._

 _Amethyst grinned suddenly and stunned them all, it was a pretty intense conversation and the way she smiled and the look in her eyes, it was innocent and pure as if nothing had happened to her. She seemed to glow brighter in that moment, a faint glow thriving beneath her skin, one that only Luffy could see and had noticed when he first saw her, but the others couldn't see but they could still feel a feeling of divinity and purity to her that made them feel awe for a split moment and then she spoke in a tone that was light and fleeting, "Do you want to know anything else?"_

 _Robin smiled and looked at Luffy. "I like her, seems as though we have a nice addition to the crew."_

 _Everyone agreed to the sentiment, some more loudly than the others but then Nami spoke up suddenly grabbing Amethyst' attention._

 _"I'm... I'm sorry for judging you before..." she spoke softly, voice laced with guilt._

 _Amethyst smiled softly at the girl who was avoiding eye contact, reached out and grabbed her hand, Nami gasped as she felt her breath get knocked out of her at the touch, it felt weird like a burst of warmth shot into her from the mere touch of the masked girl._

 _"Don't be sorry, it's fine, I'd be surprised if at least one of you didn't react like that."_

 _"But," Robin cut in, face turning blank and serious as she stares at the girl eliciting a screech of fear from Usopp at the look, she says, "If you betray our captain we will kill you."_

 _Amethyst giggled at that, letting go of Nami's hand, shocking them once again. "I would have it no other way but trust me... I will never do that, I'd die before that happens and I'll die to keep his safety," she replies with a grin still on her face, she only serves to confuse and interest the crew, even more. This person who they barely knew was somehow swearing that she would protect their captain who she had never met and more so confusing as she swore on her life, it was unbelievable and yet they all looked at her eyes... the colour of pale Lilac and Blue and the emotion in them reassuring them that she would uphold her promise._

 _"But you know," Amethyst said, cutting the momentary silence that overtook. "Just having me on your crew could make your bounties higher and you'll be targeted, even more, they are still trying to figure out who I am and the source of my power."_

 _Sanji butted in for the first time, lighting a cigarette then saying, "We don't care, as long as you're loyal to this rubber idiot, we don't bother worrying about that sort of stuff."_

 _Amethyst stood up and stretched before smiling at them all. "I see... well thank you for welcoming me."_

* * *

Amethyst looks out from her spot on the ship head where she stayed most of the time, the crew at first telling her that she wasn't allowed to stay there as it was the Captain's special seat only to have him brush them off and say it was fine.

"Am!"

She turned to the voice and smiled seeing Luffy jump and sit next to her, she wondered if he remembered her as he had started to call her the same name that he used to or if that was just a proving fact that Luffy was still Luffy through anything that ever happened, unchanging.

"What's up, Lu?"

"Are you okay?" he asks simply and she smiles wider.

"How can I not be when I'm with you, huh?"

He grins but shakes his head, face turning serious and she suddenly saw a flash of the Luffy she remembered on the marine ship on their way to Marineford, she didn't particularly like the memory of that Luffy.

"I'm asking seriously, your light is dim something must be wrong," he said and she almost flinched at the tone, reminding her even more of him during that time, she wanted to hide him away then, someone like him didn't deserve to be exposed to such evil. She always wondered how he was the only one who could see the glow that until now only she could see and feel.

She feels her smile falter slightly before turning away from him and looking out at the horizon and she sighs, deflating slightly. "I don't know," she answers honestly, she feels happy here with them all but as much as she tries to fool herself, it's not like her previous home.

"Do you not like being here?"

Her head snaps back to him at the question and she shakes her head when she sees his slightly hurt expression, feeling like a jerk for making him feel like that. "No! That's not it at all... I just miss some people, that's all, a family that... I left behind," she answers somewhat solemnly.

"Oh! I get it!" he chirps suddenly and she feels like laughing wondering if he really did get it or just understood it in his own Luffy understanding. Her eyes twinkled with laughter "Oh?" she says.

"Yeah, I miss Ace and Sabo all the time! They're my brothers, but I know they're happy and free, doing what we all promised to do, though Sabo isn't a pirate he seemed happy too! So if they're happy I should be happy too, right? Even if we aren't all together."

Amethyst smiled. Of course, he understood though her circumstances were complex, the message still applied and she nodded. "I guess you're right, thanks, Lu," she says softly.

"When are you going to take the mask off?" Luffy asks, pouting at the girl. "We're Nakama right?"

The girl sighs and flicks his forehead. "Is this the real reason you came here? To pester me about the mask again?"

He huffed rubbing the sore spot on his head and turned away. "...no."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, I'll show you but that's it, okay?" she says, giving in, it was the fifth time he's asked and that's just today, don't even get her started on the past few months. He nodded enthusiastically.

She reached up and easily slipped it off, she looked back at him and watched his expression change, mouth turning into a small 'o' shape and nodded his head. "You're really pretty but I thought you'd have a cool scar or something," he said honestly.

She laughed and put the mask back on. "Sorry for not having a cool scar."

"It's fine, but why do you wear a mask around the ship? You should leave it off," he remarked matter-of-factly.

She got an idea in her head and smiled. "Okay, but only if you promise me something," she said looking at him seriously. He nodded frantically.

"You have to stop stealing food off my plate when we're eating," she said with a serious tone, mostly expecting him to disagree with it.

She laughed as she watched him seriously contemplate the promise, hands clasped and face screwed up, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. Before she knew it Nami came and was watching them with a confused look on her face, not quite sure what she was walking in on.

"Uh, What's happening?" She asked curiously.

Amethyst laughed. "He's thinking."

Nami's eyes widened before saying, "Well, tell him to knock it off before he hurts himself."

"YOSH!" He yelled suddenly, throwing a fist in the air and catching them both off guard. "I'll agree with what you said!"

Amethyst cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" she questioned doubtfully.

"Yup! I will never steal food from you again, I promise!" he shouted slamming his fist into his hand in determination.

Nami almost fell over at that, mouth agape and eyes wide as saucers, looking between the two sitting on the figurehead as if hell had just frozen over. "What the hell!? How'd you get him to agree to that?" she asked incredulously.

Amethyst winked at her putting her index finger to her lips. "Secret," she says slyly.

Nami narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her before sighing and shaking her head in exasperation, putting her hand to her forehead and walking away. "I just came to inform you guys that Sanji has finished dinner."

When Luffy didn't automatically shoot off Amethyst looked at him with concern as he just continued to sit there, a small smile on his face that for some reason didn't seem to fit all that well.

"Lu?... You okay?" she asked worriedly.

He turned to her and grinned, nodding his head enthusiastically, she sighed and poked him softly on the side of the head. "Tell me the truth, what's wrong? No fake smiling, especially from you."

His smile faltered and she could tell he was thinking about whether or not to tell her and she could tell what his mind had decided as his smile completely fell and he looked down at his hands, fidgeting with them slightly before speaking up in a soft almost whispered voice, "I... I can tell you trust me, you always go along with my decisions and never doubt or go against me but... I don't know if everyone else trusts me, what if... what if they don't think I'm a good enough captain?"

She was startled by the hurt and insecurity in his voice and his doubts in the crew, they were obviously dedicated to him, deadly so, sometimes to the point of overwhelming... though that seemed hypocritical coming from her. She automatically thought of when he voiced his fear of dying, inner doubts and fears eating at him.

"Why would you say that Lu?" she asked softly.

He shifted a bit uncomfortably, still avoiding eye contact. "Well, I feel like they don't trust me enough to protect them sometimes... Nami was a bit different but she didn't believe I could help her with Arlong and Robin tried to sacrifice herself for us and Sanji with Big Mom and his family threw away his freedom partly for me... we reunited a little bit before you joined but I've just been thinking about it since then."

Amethyst felt her heart soften at the revelation. "They just don't want you to get hurt, they want to protect you as well."

Luffy shook his head, eyebrows drawing together in frustration. "But I'm the Captain! I'm the one that needs to protect them!" he said stubbornly. She thought for a bit to herself on how to make him understand before speaking up, gaining his attention as he turned to look at her finally.

"Well, do you think of yourself as higher than them?"

He shook his head almost immediately. "No, I'm Captain but we're all Nakama," he said with finality in his voice.

"So, you're equal?"

"Mm!"

Amethyst smiled softly. "So why can't they be equally as protective of you as you are of them?"

Luffy seemed to become quiet at that, she could tell he was contemplating her words internally and saw understanding flush into his features and he nodded firmly. "I see."

She tilted her head a bit. "Do you?"

"Yeah, thanks, Am!" he exclaimed gratefully, she then waited for him to get up and finally go and eat but watched with an amused expression as he continued to sit there and stare at her.

"Yes? Is there a reason you seem to be staring at me?"

He didn't answer for a couple minutes making her think that maybe he had zoned out before speaking up, "You remind me of him."

"Of who?" she questioned curiously.

"My brother, Ace."

She refrained from making a reaction and instead questioned him, "How so?"

"You're nicer than him and happier too," he said making her laugh. "But the look in your eyes are similar, he's bright as well not the same as you, you're different but his eyes and yours are nearly exactly the same but yours have more shadows." before she could respond to him, his face broke out into a grin and he then grabbed her hand, dragging her towards the ship. "Let's eat! I'm hungry!"

She laughed, deciding to let the subject go, running alongside him before stopping abruptly as they reached the middle of the deck, grabbing his arm to stop him. He turns and pouts at her. "Am! I'm hungry!" he whines.

She rolls her eyes at him and smirks, "Wanna race? Whoever loses has to give the other half their amount of meat!"

His eyes sparkled with determination and excitement, he got into a ready stance and looked at her, she grinned and winked at him.

"  
1

2

3

.  
.

GO!"

She closed her eyes and clicked her fingers, reopening them to see she was sitting in her usual spot in the dining room, scaring some of the people that were there.

"STOP DOING THAT!" Usopp and Chopper shouted at her, clutching at their chests dramatically from their positions on the floor where they fell from fright, getting up only to fall back down with a screech as Luffy appeared next to them a second later, skin pink and steaming slightly.

"Ha! I beat you Lu."

"No fair! You teleported!" he shouted pointing accusingly at her.

"Says the guy with pink skin!" she said back, smirking at his pouting face.

He grumbled, going back to normal and sitting beside her but not looking at her, turning away from her like a child. "...whatever."

"Amethyst, I know you're strong but your powers do have a negative effect on your body, you should stop using them randomly," Chopper scolded lightly.

"Tch, you sound like that Pineapple head Marco," Amethyst remarked amused.

"Who's Marco?"

Amethyst froze and mentally punched herself before recovering. "Just this friend from home."

"Am! You should tell us some stories about when you were young! We never hear stories about you!" Luffy chirped suddenly, having let go of his childish ignoring game.

"Sounds like a good idea, we should have a bonfire night," Robin said interested in the idea of finding out more about the girl.

Amethyst wanted to reject the idea, knowing she would just end up lying to them but saw the looks on their faces and just agreed to the utter joy of most of them.

"What were you two doing? You both are never late when it comes to food," Brook asked as they all then stared at the two who had been the last ones to get here which was very rare.

Amethyst shook her head slightly. "Just talking, that's all."

"You were talking with Luffy? And he was actually paying attention?" Usopp asked incredulously.

Amethyst grinned and Luffy smiled as he saw that familiar glow that was always there when she was in a good mood, brighten a bit. "Luffy is smart you know," she said.

All of them except for Zoro, Brook and Robin seemed to disagree straight away but Amethyst wouldn't hear it and cut them off, "He's not the conventional smart but he's very perceptive and thinks deeply a lot of the time... he just doesn't show it because he's carefree but he knows a lot more than he let's off."

The ones that disagreed all seemed to look at Luffy to try and understand what she saw when he started to wolf down food like the black hole he was and they instantly waved it off, disagreeing once again.

Nami spoke up this time, "Sorry Amethyst, but being on this crew for as long as we have you'll start to see that he's empty up there... he's only a genius in fighting and getting himself into trouble, he doesn't have the attention span to have a serious conversation." The others nodded their head in agreement.

Amethyst laughed. "I'm assuming you all have attempted to go to him in private to have a serious conversation with him then?"

That seemed to make them silent as they really thought about it, had they ever really gone to him and tried to speak to him about personal things?

"And I'm sure you've seen some of Luffy being serious, right? So, you know he's capable of seriousness."

They thought about it and grimaced at remembering Luffy when he fought with Usopp and the other times he demonstrated such rare serious moments, yeah, they definitely preferred the air-headed one.

Amethyst reached up and took off her mask suddenly to the utter disbelief of everyone there except Luffy. She put it beside her plate, tying her hair up in a high ponytail and started to eat, ignoring the expressions of Awe that went around the table.

Luffy grinned up at her and took some meat off his plate and gave it to her, going back to eating and stealing off of everyone else's plates.

A silence of pure shock and speechlessness seemed to fill the room before it was shattered by a chorus of screams. "WHAAAAAAT!?"

"Are we in an alternate reality or something!?"

"Did Luffy just share his meat with her!?"

"Why isn't he stealing off of her plate... STOP STEALING MY FOOD LUFFY!"

"A GODDESS! OH MY, I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH BEAUTY!"

"Shut up, Ero-cook!"

"What was that, Marimo!?"

"I don't know which one I'm more surprised about, her mask being gone or Luffy sharing food."

"Woah Amethyst! You're Super~ pretty!"

"Very beautiful, Amethyst-san."

Robin merely snickered behind her hand at the commotion, commenting in amusement, "You two seem to have some secrets between you both."

"How'd you get this rubber brain to share his meat with you? And somehow get him to not steal your food?" Sanji questioned after getting his nosebleed to stop.

Amethyst cocked an eyebrow and they all seemed to know what she was going to say and said it before she could, "Yeah yeah... we know, it's a secret."

"Ah, you know me so well."

"But seriously," Nami spoke up. "How do you do it? He lets you sit in his 'special seat' he just gave you his meat and I'm still not convinced that the world isn't ending, he also promised to never steal food from you again, he talks to you in like serious conversations, it's like you hypnotized him or something... it's like he trusts you a lot more than us."

Amethyst thought about it for a bit, looking at the young Captain who was too occupied in eating to listen to the conversation. "I think it's more of a, he doesn't trust himself kind of thing but I think he treats me the way he does because I remind him of his brother, Ace," she said finally.

"Why do you say that?" Nami questioned.

"About the trust thing, well I guess that's more of something you guys should have a conversation about with him and about the Ace thing... Because he told me that I reminded him of Ace and if it wasn't obvious I kind of treat him like he's my precious little brother," she said with laughter gleaming in her eyes.

They all nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're a total Bro-con, except for the love interest part," Usopp said when suddenly his face landed on the plate of his food. Everyone looked at Amethyst who's hand flitted back to the table, eye-twitching a little. "I wouldn't go that far," she said darkly.

Usopp apologized vehemently for his mistake and only stopped when she smiled again suddenly, catching him off guard.

"You know, I think you guys have been too occupied with me," Amethyst said, holding in her laughter, they looked at her in confusion until she pointed downwards and saw that all of their plates were empty except for Amethyst'.

Amethyst began eating her food again listening to the sounds of shouting and being quite entertained at the sight of the arguing between all of them.

* * *

Amethyst washed up and was now in a singlet and shorts, walking outside to the small bonfire on deck that everyone was gathering around. She sat down on the side of the bonfire where no one was near, lying down on her stomach, head resting on her arms.

She felt a sudden heavy weight on her lower back and groaned as the air was knocked out of her. "Luffy, seriously you're so heavy," she groaned out but received laughter in response. She watched as everyone started to move towards where she was situated and suddenly she wasn't in a private spot, everyone gathering around her and Luffy.

"Oh! You do have cool scars! and a tattoo!" Luffy exclaimed as he looked at her back that was marred by three scars and a tattoo that sat beautifully right in the middle of the odd one out of the scars, covering most of it and she could've sworn she could hear the stars in his eyes but she wasn't too focused on that instead she opted to keep her eyes on the fire, the flames reflecting brightly in her eyes. "Are you going to stay up there?" she questioned, ignoring the statement, in an annoyed tone but it didn't seem all that genuine.

"Ne, Am! Tell me how you got these scars!" he hollered completely ignoring the question.

She shrugged. "The one on my shoulder is just a burn I got and the other two... honestly I'm not sure, they just appeared suddenly one day," she answered as honestly and vaguely as possible.

She heard Luffy huff and could practically see the pout on his face. "That's not very interesting! What about the tattoo, it looks like a flame."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not just here for your entertainment you know? And the tattoo is a flower." Robin spoke up then and her voice was full of fascination, "It's a Fire Lily, right?"

Amethyst nodded. "Yeah."

"May I ask why the Fire Lily, if it's not too intrusive?"

"Well, it reminds me of someone who I see as a representation of something seemingly dangerous but in reality, they're beautiful, passionate and full of life and joy that they give to everyone around them and even though they may disagree, they're also delicate and need to be taken care of."

Robin smiled gently. "Sounds like an amazing person."

They watched as she got a dreamy far off look in her eyes and Luffy saw her glow the brightest then she ever had before, feeling himself become happier just seeing it. "You have no idea."

"Also, I feel like I've seen scars like that somewhere, the crescent-shaped ones," Robin said and Amethyst felt her interest peak a bit and waited for her to carry on with her assessment.

"Where I'm from there's this story about an Angel and a Demon, you see Angels and Demons were creatures that were polar opposites, not meant to live on the same plane and not suppose to interact with each other at all." By this time everyone was listening closely, turning towards the Archaeologist as she spoke, her eyes seeming to come alive with every spoken word.

"An Angel from heaven and a Demon from hell weren't supposed to be able to even come across each other, not only was it forbidden but it was impossible, for one thrived high in the clouds and the other residing deep within the depths of the underworld. But an Angel named Seraphina and a Demon named Abaddon found a way around these impossibilities, seeking for something that neither had thought to ever obtain as their very existence went against such things and somehow in all that searching they came across each other and instead of war or havoc, instead of turmoil and uproar... they fell in love."

Nami, Brook and Usopp seemed to be melting into the story, feeling their hearts warm at the star-crossed lovers and their story.

"Ah! They fell in love, it's so heartwarming!" Franky shouted, tears welling up in his eyes.

"She was an Angel who craved Chaos and he was a Demon who was seeking peace and they found it in each other."

"What happened to them?" Chopper chirped, enthralled in the story as much as the others.

"Well, they broke a forbidden rule so Abaddon was thrown out of Hell and Seraphina was thrown out of Heaven but right before she fell from grace, her wings were ripped off because of her treacherous action and that left two curved thick scars on her back as a reminder of her deed and they look exactly like Amethyst' scars," Robin finished interest shining brightly in her eyes.

Everyone seemed to lean over and look at the scars, not quite seeing it yet. Amethyst lifted up her singlet, still lying on her stomach so not exposing anything crude... not that the scars weren't crude.

"Woah, those are some pretty gnarly scars there Sis!"

Amethyst pulled her singlet back down and looked back towards the Archaeologist. "So what? I'm some Fallen Angel?"

Robin giggled delicately at that. "It's merely a story to most so I wouldn't say so but I'd find it would make more sense for you to be something else," she said softly.

Amethyst cocked an eyebrow. "To most? Is that assuming you're one of the few who thinks it as more so? And what exactly would that 'something else', be?"

"Well, you might be wondering what happened to the Angel and Demon, are you not?" Robin inquired, purposely ignoring the first question.

Usopp butt in then, "It would only make sense that they probably stayed together, right?" his voice was full of hope that Amethyst thought his heart might break if he heard that, that hadn't happened.

Robin's expression turned solemn as she continued on, "That they did... and it was everything they could've asked for." Usopp, Luffy, Brook, Chopper and Nami started to cheer but it was cut short as Robin continued speaking, "That was until one day they had a child, a beautiful baby girl with bright eyes full of wonder and unfathomable power but the Angel died giving birth to the child and the Demon now losing his Angel went ballistic, his only tether to peace, harmony and love had just died and so he reverted back to his origins and went to kill the baby."

Nami gasped and Sanji scoffed. Usopp, Brook, Franky and Luffy looking disheartened as Zoro looked stoic and yet interested at the same time, not speaking or making any sound or movement. Amethyst felt herself feel a slight amusement to the dramatic reactions from most of them, after all, it was... just a story.

"But he took a look at the baby with the bright eyes and was reminded of his Angel and all of a sudden he couldn't bring himself to do it... but he also couldn't stand living without his Angel and so he killed himself and the baby was left alone," Robin said making everyone there automatically feel a saddened mood take over.

"Ah, how sad," Brook remarked and if Franky was crying behind him so that no one would notice, then he wouldn't say.

"The unfortunate deaths of both parents and their treacherous deeds passed down to the child cursing her with the scars of the Fallen Angel and doomed to have a life full of torment, suffering, misery, agony and trauma and even if she did find love she would fall to the same fate as her father and her love will die before her eyes, the universe doing all they can to pull them apart and that curse was passed down from generation to generation, certain descendants falling victim to the curse."

"So..." Amethyst started, voice thoughtful and yet held a certain layer of sadness that they could all hear and feel. "You're saying I'm probably one of the few descendants that the curse fell on of an Angel and a Demon...?"

"Demon or not you're an Angel to me! But I would love you either way!" Sanji shouted causing Zoro and Amethyst to roll their eyes at him.

"Yes, yes I'm sure you would curly brow," she said in an annoyed and amused tone of voice which somehow made him swoon more saying something on the lines of 'You're still so beautiful even when you're cold to me.'

"Well it is just a story," Robin said ignoring the swooning Sanji and his comments but the look in her eyes and the emotion in her voice wasn't very convincing that she believed it was just a story.

"Did... did it say anything about saving their love?" Amethyst questioned timidly which was very abnormal for them to see as that wasn't really in her personality to be timid.

"No... but a fellow Archaeologist who used to look after me sometimes when I was young told me of stories of the descendant and them sacrificing themselves for their love and dying in their stead."

Amethyst felt her head spinning with questions and curiosity. "What about if the sacrifice was made but they both survived?"

"I haven't heard of anything like that happening, after all, things must be experienced and seen for it to be recorded or retold," Robin remarked smoothly.

"Hm... I think that story is true," Amethyst said thoughtfully as she lay down on her back, Luffy finally jumping off.

"And why do you say that Amethyst-san?" Robin questioned carefully.

Amethyst chuckled lightly, giving them an all too familiar look before sighing and they all answered at the same time, "Secret."

"You and your secrets," Usopp complained.

"Well, it would be boring if I just told you guys everything... sometimes you have to figure things out for yourselves, what's the point of an adventure if someone tells you all the answers?"

"Tch," Zoro scoffed. "You're hanging out with Luffy too much."

"You know, I haven't exactly settled in completely," Amethyst said ignoring the slight insult but truth from the swordsman.

"And what would settle you in completely? or is it another secret?" Franky asked.

"Well... I would say it is but seeing as you'll never see it coming, either way, I'll just inform you that I'm _Very_ creative at playing pranks."

"Pr-pranks?" Usopp stammered.

"Yup, the last people I pranked were very strong so who knows if you'll come out of it unscathed, who knows you might find out more of my abilities."

They all sighed as they could only brace for what the girl had in mind for the future as if being on this ship before she showed up wasn't chaotic enough. They looked at the girl and was alarmed when they didn't feel any of the usual warmth that usually omitted from her, Luffy not seeing the glow. It was weird with her, one moment they would see one emotion and in a split second, having just looked away for a second or just blinked and it would change.

"You okay Am?" Luffy questioned, concerned at the absence of her glow that dimmed every now and then but never disappeared until now.

She looked at them and grinned her usual grin but her usual feel wasn't there. "Yeah, why?"

"No you're not, your glow is gone, somethings wrong!" Luffy exclaimed in annoyance that she kept trying to lie.

Amethyst kept smiling, shaking her head as if nothing was wrong but the tears gathering in her eyes told a different story. She looked up her eyebrows scrunching and laughed a little. "I don't even know why I'm crying," she laughed again breaking into a fit of humourless giggles and wiped her eyes. "That was weird, huh?" she said as she was finally able to pull herself together.

"You can talk to us Amethyst-san," Brook said seriously.

"I just..." She started and looked at them all their faces showing concern, even Zoro who was normally pretty stoic and blank of any emotion unless it was annoyance and exasperation and she suddenly felt the momentary weight that she had, disappear, deciding not to tell them that she was afraid she would be alone again. "Nevermind, it's nothing."

They all felt her normal vibe come back and relaxed a bit but not before making sure that she was really okay to which she reassured.

"So you guys wanted a story about my life back home, right?"

They nodded and waited for her to tell the story.

"Well, I was really... sick when I was young and I've told you about my abusive father so I didn't get a chance to go out much," she started.

"That must've been boring!" Luffy exclaimed and she smiled a bit, nodding.

"It was, but then one time... finally, I got better, enough to go outside and... my parents let me out. So the first thing I did was take in my surroundings and I have to say in that moment seeing the outside, it was one of the most beautiful things I had experienced," she trailed off, a small smile on her face that made them feel slightly warm but also sorry for her.

"I remember I went to this one place that had flowers, there were all sorts of colours that I never thought I'd see and they smelled all different and unique, it was so... different." Her face seemed to become lively as she carried on with a child-like enthusiasm.

"Oh! and you should've seen it! The sky was so blue and clear and the air was just so different and fresh and I remember feeling the lush grass fresh with dew between my toes and the breeze against my face... it was just..." she sighed as she smiled softly, recalling the memory. "Amazing."

"And I thought to myself, 'Wow, is it always look like this?' Oh oh! I also remember going past this bakery and..." she trailed off and they saw a flash of pain go across her face before it disappeared as if it was never there, replaced with a grin again.

"And I realised 'Sometimes, you have to stop staring at your problems and start seeing how beautiful your life is' and for the first time in my life I thought 'My life is good, despite the few problems.'" Everyone was smiling at this point as the girl animatedly explained her childhood experience, it was the first time she looked so... innocent and full of joy.

But her wide smile suddenly slipped off her face. "But then..."

"But then, what?" Chopper asked.

Her smile returned but it was small and slightly... sober in comparison to her previous one. "But then I had to go back inside."

"But then you went back outside, right?" Luffy questioned happily that she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Yes, I did... eventually."

Zoro then spoke up, "What happened with the bakery?"

Amethyst looked at him startled. "What do you mean?"

"You kinda skipped over it," he said smoothly. Nami went to punch him for being insensitive once again but he just dodged it.

"It's fine Nami. I just didn't feel like talking about it but to put it simply, I met someone who I was so grateful for... at that time."

Usopp swallowed nervously. "Was?"

She nodded her head. "They're dead."

The mood turned sombre and everyone looked at her with varying emotions to which she waved off instantly. "It's fine, really."

"Well, you have us now and we are strong so we won't die easily!" Luffy exclaimed confidently, everyone agreeing though feeling slightly exasperated at the slight insensitivity of it. Amethyst laughed and patted him on the head. "Of course." In that moment she thought to herself that they may not be her original family but they are family, no doubt about it.


	16. Chapter 16: Consequences

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing obviously._**

 _A/N: Sooo, it's been over a year... honestly I was invested in my multiple jobs and didn't have time to update, I'm so sorry! When I wasn't working I would sleep and then have to get back to work buuuut good news is that I already have five chapters written since I've been gone and just haven't published them, I will soon as I edit them a tad. If you think I lost inspiration I haven't! I've never had writer's block or even lost my immense love for OP, unfortunately, I just lost the time. But here I am back at it again!_

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 16**

* * *

Everyone by now had fallen asleep but one, who stood up, carefully unravelling the sleeping captain from herself and laying his head on top of the sniper who held the furry little doctor in his arms.

Amethyst stretched herself out as she felt aches in her body from the uncomfortable position she was in on the floor.

Looking down at the sleeping boy who she was honoured to call her brother and her heart warmed, she smiled lightly, leaning back down, squatting and slowly reached out her hand, gently laying her fingertips on his chest, tracing the outside of the scar on his chest, it felt surprisingly soft, it was uneven, her finger feeling all the dips and grooves, grimacing slightly as she thought about how he would've gotten it.

She then leaned down and pressed her lips softly to his forehead.

"I will always be here to protect you, little brother, Always." She whispered softly in his ear.

She stood back up, her smile still on her face, widening a bit as she saw the corners of his lips lift slightly, his face seemingly becoming more relaxed.

She then turned away, started walking across the deck, sliding her hand across the railing of the ship feeling the smoothness of the wood, indicating the impeccable craftsmanship, she walked quietly, all the while looking at her feet, watching them move gracefully on her tiptoes as if she were merely floating above the wood beneath her feet.

She finally got to her destination and climbed up on the head of dear sunny, sitting down with her legs splayed out, back leaning on Sunny's spiked mane.

She looked out to the horizon, the sky purple and starting to fill with light as the sun took its time waking from its slumber.

She took a deep breath in, breathing in the salty air and letting it fill her lungs and refresh her being. Amethyst felt relaxed but on edge at the same time, since the morning before her chest felt tight, she felt short of breath as if she were constantly on the edge of a panic attack but not quite falling off the edge, just teetering. It was alarming and terrifying. So she went to the ship head in the morning to relax and reminisce but she was interrupted by Luffy, far from annoyed by it though, who had his own worries going on and it gave her time to not focus on the anxiety clawing in her chest.

But now she just wanted some time alone. She reached into the front of her singlet and pulled out the front of a necklace she kept hidden around her neck and tucked into her shirts and she fingered the small bottle that looked like it had the contents of a rolled up piece of paper and on each side of the bottle was a single red bead hugging the bottle in between them. She rolled one of the beads in her fingers and then pressed the necklace to her chest, hugging it to her body as if it were the most valuable thing on earth.

Holding it in front of her, she gently opened the bottle and tapped it upside down on her hand, emptying the contents ever so delicately.

She let go of the necklace letting it fall against her chest and gently unrolled the piece of paper, a smile gracing her lips as she analysed it with tenderness. It was the picture of her and Ace that Marco had taken, it was worn on the sides but you could clearly see the picture, they were in each other's embrace, sleeping peacefully, both looking much more relaxed than two people who barely knew each other should've been.

* * *

 _Amethyst walked out of the room of the man who she now called Pops, her eyes puffy and red from all the crying, she looked down and away from everyone there as she tried to hide the weakness clear on her face that showed she was human._

 _"You know everyone already saw you cry, right?" Ace said poking her in the cheek, a wide smile on his face as his face was now clear of any tears that may or may not have fallen. "You can stop trying to hide the fact that you aren't an emotionless doll."_

 _She glared up at him but it soon fell as she couldn't feel the need to be annoyed at him, the man she had already felt so attached and grateful towards. "I meant it, you know?" she said quietly, looking him in the eyes._

 _He looked at her in confusion eyebrows furrowing as they both came to a stop, she seemed to be debating something in her head as he looked down at her. Getting tired of waiting he looked at her, he **really** looked at her and couldn't help but smile, she was beautiful, that much was blatantly obvious to anyone that came across her but he couldn't help but really just see how beautiful, from the colour of her eyes that the light seemed to catch constantly as if it lived for her eyes only, to the small dimple in her cheek that he just wanted to poke, the sprinkle of freckles that adorned her cheeks, her caramel skin that seemed to entice him to see if it tasted anything like how it looked, her plump lips that she seemed to constantly abuse with her teeth wondering if they were as soft as they looked._

 _Every part of her seemed so purely and instinctively gorgeous as if God itself had laid favouritism on her and her alone, a living and breathing personification of beauty and temptation, glowing like a beacon of light itself but then he remembered the scars and his mood instantly soured._

 _Before he could elaborate on his aggravation he was shocked frozen, slowly moving his hand to touch his cheek where he could've sworn he had just felt her press those sinfully carved lips against. He looked at her in shock._

 _"I just-uh I-I'm thankful for you, th-thanks," she stuttered out in embarrassment, it was the first time she had initiated a kiss and her heart was racing, her mind telling her how stupid she was for doing that, before she could hear a response from the man who wasn't saying anything and kept looking at her, she turned around and ran back towards the infirmary._

 _Ace quickly came out of his shocked stupor before smirking as he watched her rush away from him, following her lazily taking long strides across the deck to catch up to her flailing form. "Sorry, I couldn't quite tell how thankful, you mind refreshing my memory?" He called out after her, voice low and teasing._

 _"Fuck off!"_

* * *

Amethyst smiled lightly as she fiddled with the corner of the picture, cheeks reddening as she thought about how forward she was when it came to him even when she had just arrived there. She then felt her eyes start to burn, starting to water and she smoothly covered her eyes with her free hand, her smile slipping momentarily, letting the tears fall freely into her palm, she could never get rid of the feeling of sorrow that followed her constantly, remembering the present situation she was in.

"Hey, isn't that-"

She quickly snapped her head towards the voice, hiding the picture behind her, seeing two people standing there, looking quite interested and perplexed.

"Zoro, Robin, what the fuck!?"

She could see Zoro's mind was trying to piece together what he just saw, eyebrows scrunching up in a more so calculating look than that of a confused one. Robin, on the other hand, seemed to have a more relaxed facial expression, somewhat understanding shining in her eyes, cursing under her breath for being so careless and letting her guard down.

"We didn't see wrong did we Amethyst? That was you and Ace, right?" Robin asked softly, now sitting next to the girl who was shifting nervously, now crossing her legs.

"I-I can't say..." Amethyst let out nervously, in a panic that she had let two people find out a part of her she knew she shouldn't have, now even more afraid that if she let out too much information it would do more damage than good.

Zoro then sat on the other side of her. "Can't or won't?" He questioned firmly, he was a little more sceptical than Robin, he already was confused about the girl and how she had come to act the way she does towards their captain without even knowing him and now this? It just presented even more questions that he had no answers to and it frustrated him.

Amethyst didn't know how to answer that without revealing more than she was willing.

"Well at least answer our questions, yes or no will be good enough, for now," Robin suggested carefully, not wanting to push her too much in case it took away their chance of knowing anything more about the girl.

Knowing she wasn't just going to be able to brush this off as she usually does, nodded slowly, letting out a small breath as her nerves flushed.

"Okay, well, I'm sure we can come to the conclusion that he's not just some guy you slept with, I can already tell by the look on your face and the tears in your eyes that he was much more than that," Robin concluded smartly, Amethyst not being surprised at her accurate analysis.

"You're in love with him, right?"

Amethyst had put the picture back where it belonged and tucked the necklace back where it came from. She was now fiddling with her fingers, looking at them so that she could avoid eye contact with the other two, knowing if she looked she would be tempted to spill everything she was holding back.

"Yes," She answered simply.

"Did something bad happen between you guys?"

Amethyst shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to answer that, without elaborating too much. "Yes and no."

"Can you build on that?" Robin pressed, needing a little more than what she was receiving.

"Yes, something bad happened," she answered cautiously. "But, no, it wasn't exactly because of one another, we don't have any bad blood."

Zoro was the next to question her, "Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be with him? Was it because it was one-sided?"

Amethyst shook her head, much too quickly, "No, it was nothing like that, we just aren't able to be together... at the moment."

Both Zoro and Robin had the same question in mind when she said that. "Why?"

She didn't know if it was nerves or frustration that caused her to snap out, "Because you can't tell someone that they love you, now are we done here?" She was now over the conversation altogether, hoping they didn't sense the shakiness in her words or the tears that were being held back or her resolve cracking bit by bit with every question, she stood up and walked back to the deck where she saw people starting to wake up.

"Am, why are you up so early?"

Amethyst smiled at the sleepy voice as she walked towards Luffy, sitting next to him and patting his head tenderly. "Just felt like having some time alone, so I woke up earlier."

He nodded, rubbing his eyes but never taking his eyes off of her as he analysed her to see if she were truly okay. "You feeling okay, now?"

She sighed but still kept a smile on her face, glancing nonchalantly at the two that soon followed after her onto the deck and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good Lu," she reassured.

"I'm hungry," he blurted out unsurprisingly.

Sanji who was already up and had a cigarette already lit started to walk towards the kitchen like clock-work, getting ready for another hard day of work, no doubt.

Amethyst felt a wave of nausea wash over her before feeling something warm trickle down her nose and lifted her hand towards it, touching it gingerly then looking at it. Blood.

"Damn," she hissed, trying to shake the sudden wash of nausea that came over her.

Luffy looked at her worried and wiped her nose with his sleeve, she watched him and was reminded of the Luffy from Impel down who constantly wiped away her blood when she overexerted herself. She then looked away, reminding herself that those may as well be two different people, the one who knew her then and the one who didn't, as simple as that.

"Did you use your powers again?" Chopper questioned, still slightly half asleep.

She shook her head. "Just a little nosebleed doc, nothing to worry about."

Chopper reluctantly accepted that answer but telling her to visit his office later on in the day to get a check-up.

Amethyst looked to see Robin and Zoro still staring at her quite openly though no one seemed to notice the change in posture or the air between the three, they wanted answers that much was obvious to her, she could tell Robin had figured some things out. She was smart after all... unfortunately for her.

"What's up with you three?" Nami questioned, suspicious as to why they had a weird tense air around them since they came back from where they were being the only one of the crew who seemed to notice the change. The three of them were a weird group to be together alone in the first place.

"None of your business," Zoro said automatically, not taking kindly to her always having to be so nosey. When Robin and Amethyst didn't seem to say anything to follow that up, Nami seemed to get even more suspicious but dropped it... for now at least.

Luffy jumped up excitedly, not catching the tense air as he bounced around excitedly, or maybe he did sense it and was doing exactly that for that exact reason, who knew?

Robin being who she was couldn't just bag her curiosity and walked towards Amethyst, they both looked at each other having a silent conversation and Amethyst stood up, apart from Luffy, she trusted Robin the most when it came to these kinds of conversations, she was wise and listened well without judgement.

She followed Robin to a part of the ship where they could talk privately. Sitting down on a table with two chairs and an umbrella.

Keeping quiet for a bit, she was feeling nervous and yet slightly excited, she was nervous for obvious reasons, that what she was going to say was going to have bad repercussions and excited that maybe it wouldn't and she'd finally get to openly talk to someone about what she's been going through... though knowing her track record she was more than sure it wouldn't be the latter.

"I want to say that I'm not going to force you but given the circumstances, I'm sure you can understand that I can't just let it go," Robin said softly but firmly as to make sure she didn't end up doing more harm than good.

"I know and it's not that I didn't want to tell you guys what... exactly is going on but more like I couldn't exactly," she replied vaguely, making sure not to reveal a more detailed response.

Robin tilted her head, trying to grasp the meaning behind the words that she was saying. "So, how do you want to start?"

Amethyst shifted nervously, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear unconsciously. "I'm really nervous..." trailing off as she gnawed at her bottom lip.

Robin gave her a small smile and nodded encouragingly. "I understand that, take your time."

"But I'm also excited," she then followed up which confused Robin just a bit and she gave her a look that told her to elaborate on what she meant.

"I've always wanted to tell you guys what's been going on but I haven't been able to because of circumstances that have been- I guess... honestly..." Amethyst then got slightly tongue-tied, trying to gather her thoughts and organize them, "I don't know if I can or can't tell you guys... I just have been afraid that something bad will happen if I do."

Robin nodded slowly. "I see, so it wasn't that you didn't want to tell us but more, you thought you couldn't?"

"Yeah..."

"And are you not afraid of the same thing happening?" Robin questioned curiously.

Amethyst shook her head. "I'm still a bit afraid but nothing has happened yet, right? And you and Zoro found out basically a big part of what I've been trying to hide."

Robin nods again, face never changing and Amethyst found it somewhat comforting.

"That story I told last night," Robin then mentioned out of nowhere, catching the lilac-eyed girl off guard. "Why did you say you thought it was true? Is this what that's about?"

Amethyst would've voiced how impressed she was at the intelligence of the raven-haired woman had she not felt disturbed at the clear observation of her and how she had let her tongue slip carelessly thinking they would brush it off... but of course not Robin of all people.

"Yes," she replies softly, voice barely a whisper, the wind almost snatching the word completely.

Robin was quickly putting the pieces together in her mind, the cursed ancestor, doomed to be lonely and miserable, who falls in love with someone doomed to die. What she couldn't quite understand or form in her head to make any type of sense was if that was true, how were both Ace and Amethyst... how were they both very much alive. From the story she knows, the lover of the ancestor either dies or more rarely lives because the ancestor sacrificed themselves, never has she heard both surviving.

She then recalled the questioning and curiosity of Amethyst.

'Did... did it say anything about saving their love?'

'What about if the sacrifice was made but they both survived?'

Amethyst then was shocked to see the almost blank, calculating look on Robin's face completely change, a warm smile now taking its place as her entire expression softened.

"I think I admire you, even more, Amethyst, I don't exactly know what happened, if anything I feel like I've only been given more questions but," Robin continued, the smile still on her face and eyes softening slightly. "I know you somehow must've sacrificed yourself for Ace, I feel that there is more to what happened at Marineford, something only you know, am I on the right track?"

Amethyst nodded, wordlessly, a look of fear mixed with a slight relief in her eyes as the Archaeologist proved her smarts without having to reveal a whole lot.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I suspect because I trust you," Robin says genuinely, grabbing one of Amethysts hand in her own. "I know an underhanded manipulative woman when I see one because once upon a time I was one and you?" Her smile widened an inch as she spoke. "...are not one."

Amethyst felt her eyes start to tear up, some of the weight that was on her shoulders, lifting off of her... not all of it obviously, not even a quarter of it but still, she felt lighter than before and she was glad she had someone she could try and be as honest as she could with.

"Thank you, Robin... oh and please don't tell anyone, especially Luffy, if he finds out, I... won't be happy."

Robin smiled back at her in response and let go of her hand, getting up and walking back inside the ship, leaving Amethyst alone.

Amethyst looked to her left and saw Zoro, staring back at her, even as she caught him staring, he never looked away, a look of scrutiny on his face and she knew that she couldn't just give peace of mind to one of them and not do so towards the other. She got up and started walking over to him, much to his surprise, he wasn't expecting her to approach him, she seemed to make it pretty clear she was over the questioning, especially from him.

Sitting down beside him, she leaned her head back on the railing of the ship and closed her eyes.

"You don't trust me anymore, huh?" She questioned.

Zoro let out a small scoff. "No offence, but I didn't really trust you in the first place, you have many secrets and I knew that even before seeing the picture," he said, looking at her the entire time through his one good eye, wondering if he was offending her... not that he cared all that much. "You look at Luffy with so much emotion, you instantly clicked with him and you understand him in a way that none of us does... before you, I was the only one who understood Luffy best, but now?" He let out a huff of frustration, scratching at his face. "You're on a whole different level. It frustrates me because it made no sense then and makes even less sense now because I thought maybe you looked after him because you have a relationship with Ace but then why wouldn't you mention it?... Why do you only give me more questions the more I learn about you?"

Amethyst put her head on Zoro's shoulder, feeling him instantly tense, she could already feel the emanating confusion coming from him.

"A while ago I made a promise to Luffy before I came on this ship before you even knew the me that you know of now. A promise that not even Luffy remembers... not yet at least," Amethyst let out, unable to keep the pain out of her voice, throwing caution to the side as she revealed a part of her she knew would have repercussions.

Zoro felt like he was put in a corner, not knowing what to do. He was very uncomfortable for more reasons than just her being way too close for his liking. He wasn't like Robin where he could just piece things together, he was slower and didn't always remember small details.

"You don't have to worry, Zoro. I love Luffy, more than life itself and as you know now, I'm in love with Ace..." Amethyst was going to continue when her thoughts started to drift, she took her head off of Zoro's shoulder and shook it, trying to get her thoughts back on track, much to his relief. "Ace is my person, someone who I can't live without and Luffy is the person who makes having to live without him... tolerable, enjoyable even. Both of them are the reasons that I'm still living in this miserable world, a world that is fated to kill me because of who I am. I promise, you will all know the truth when the time comes, I don't know exactly when that'll be, but all I know is that until then, know that I will bring no harm to any of you," She answered truthfully and wholeheartedly without blinking or breaking eye contact with him.

Zoro was still confused, even more so than before but he wasn't a complete idiot and he knew when people were genuine and when they weren't.

"Aren't you going to eat? Dartbrow finished cooking not long ago," Zoro huffed in response, dropping the subject altogether, knowing he wasn't going to get any more information out of her or maybe because he wanted her to stop looking at him so intensely.

Amethyst smiled and got up, walking inside the ship and towards the dining room.

She watched as all of them suddenly stop talking, failing to act normal and she sat down in her usual seat, next to Luffy and looked at him, an eyebrow raised, questioningly, but got no response, just him whistling and looking to the side suspiciously.

She looked at Robin for answers who shrugged. "I just got here a bit before you, they won't tell me... whatever _this_ is, better be on your guard Amethyst," she said in amusement and Amethyst could tell she was telling the truth, rolling her eyes as she playfully glared at them.

"NOW!"

Everything happened so fast that she couldn't even keep up with all the movement around her, it was bizarre. Being as bizarre is quite normal in this crew she wouldn't have even noticed what had happened, had Robin not said anything.

"Luffy, I don't think that's a good idea, you should give it back to Amethyst," Robin said and Amethyst could see the tenseness in her stance and facial expression, Amethyst stared at her in confusion for a second before she felt it, the emptiness.

She reached up gingerly and pressed softly against her chest, not feeling the familiar weight on her neck.

She quickly snapped her eyes towards Luffy who was now on the other side of the table and saw him with her necklace, he was eyeing it excitedly whilst Chopper, Usopp and Franky stood behind him, waiting for him to open the small bottle that they had caught a glimpse of from time to time. Nami was still sitting in her seat but was also waiting for them to open it.

"Luffy..." Her voice had lost all sign of emotion her expression the same. "Give it back."

They all could sense the seriousness in her words and most of them seemed to back off, except for Luffy and Nami.

"What are you hiding Amethyst?" Nami questioned.

Luffy then piped in, a pout on his face. "Yeah, Am! Why are you hiding things from us?! We're Nakama right?"

Being one that could sense danger and cower from it instantly, Usopp nudged Luffy shakily. "Oi Luffy, maybe you should give it back."

He ignored the warning and the glances he was receiving from the others there and popped the cork off of the bottle about to shake out the contents when a loud smash was heard and the table was thrown into the wall, completely obliterating into pieces.

" **GIVE IT BACK LUFFY! FOR FUCKS SAKES LISTEN FOR ONCE IN YOUR FUCKING LIFE!** "

They all looked shocked at the girl that was now standing right in front of Luffy, and even more shocking was her eyes half-way turned red as if she were trying to suppress getting out of control, hands clenched into fists, shaking as she held them close to her sides trying to suppress the sudden emotion coursing and taking over her entire body.

But none was more shocked than Luffy, who stood frozen, eyes wide open, not knowing what to do exactly, except stare at the one person he thought would never oppose or yell at him.

Amethyst felt something cold and sharp touch the nape of her neck and she flicked her eyes to the left, the red completely encompassing the whites in her eyes now.

"Calm down... Amethyst."

She started to laugh maniacally, Usopp and Chopper cowering as they heard the craze in her voice. "Do it... I dare you Zoro," Amethyst threatened back at the green-haired swordsman who held one of his many swords to her neck, her hands unclenching now, letting the rage and anxiety take over.

She even dared take a step forward, feeling the tip of the blade pierce through her skin, a trickle of blood leaving a path down her chest.

"STOP IT! Both of you... please.." Chopper shouted, now on the verge of breaking down in tears.

But neither was stepping down, Zoro because he knew she was dangerous, this just proved that and he needed to protect his captain... and Amethyst because she also needed to do the same, even if they didn't understand.

They didn't break eye-contact at all until someone's hand got in their line of sight, the hand laying gently on the blade and pushing it away from the girl.

"Luffy what-" Zoro said only to be cut off by a look from the said boy.

Luffy then grabbed ahold of the necklace in both hands and rewound it around Amethysts neck, tying it back up, the cork back in its place and he then looked down, Strawhat casting a shadow over his eyes, facial expression staying neutral as he did so, no one seemed to make a sound or move, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Amethysts eyes turned back to normal instantly as she felt the necklace laying against her chest, she then felt instantly guilty as her rage seemed to simmer away leaving the anxiety.

"Lu... I'm so sorry," she whispered out not daring to even speak too loudly.

"You know, Amethyst," Luffy said, she flinched inwardly at his use of her full name instead of the usual nickname. "We all have our secrets but you didn't have to be so mean about it," he finished seriously, now looking up at her in disappointment which made her feel even worse, wishing he'd be angry rather than disappointed.

Amethyst felt her muscles tighten and strain painfully in her right arm and grabbed ahold of it, rubbing it as she tried to think of a response. "I just, can't have you know too much about me... not yet."

"You know what, no, that's not good enough!" Nami said angrily, she stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Amethyst. "There's something that you aren't telling us, it obviously has to do with us or with Luffy, because you just showed up out of nowhere.. literally out of nowhere! And you can't keep expecting us to just brush that off now," she said firmly.

Amethyst felt everyone staring at her, she looked to Robin for a little bit of help.

"Everyone, we shouldn't push Amethyst like this, it's not fair, we don't know what she has been going through," Robin immediately said, defending her with an understanding look on her face.

"Pfft... you say that because you know, right?" Nami says challengingly.

Robin looked at her, a blank look on her face, waiting for her to go on... _daring_ her to go on, she was close with Nami, she was like a little sister but she had a nasty habit of trying to seem superior and giving attitude to the wrong people and she felt today just wasn't a day where she could let it pass.

"I know she told you! You and Zoro found something out about her and you aren't telling us! What kind of crew does that?!" Nami shouts accusingly.

Zoro glances quickly at Robin who he notices is losing her patience and to Amethyst, despite still being cautious of her he wasn't going to let Nami run her mouth as she usually does. "It's none of your damn business," he hissed, annoyed at the entire situation.

"Don't talk to her like that Marimo!" Sanji suddenly stepped in, he was holding in his anger the entire time, it was a surprise he didn't step in and say anything when Amethyst was at the end of a blade, but seeing as she had threatened the Captain first, he must've held back.

"What?! You know something we don't? Come on tell us, that's not fair!" Usopp said, Chopper agreeing both very unaware of the impending doom the crew seemed to be heading towards.

"We shouldn't be pushing her to talk about something that may be too painful for her guys," Brook responded softly, he was feeling sorry for being apart of the plan that started this entire mess.

"Now we're fighting because of her!" Nami said, turning her full attention towards Amethyst, glaring heatedly. "Are you happy with what you've done?!"

"I think I can speak for everyone when we ask... who are you exactly?" Franky questioned seriously, that question catching everyone's attention as they to look at her.

Amethyst looked around at everyone, feeling tears burn her eyes when her eyes landed on Luffy, who wasn't saying nor doing anything, just waiting for an answer to the question she has dreaded. 'Who are you?'

She felt a sudden pain in her chest and pressed one of her hands against it, grimacing and letting out a small moan of pain, breathing becoming jerky.

"I-I need some air," she let out breathlessly.

"Am? Are you okay?" Luffy asked, the concern now dripping in his voice, the previous suspicion dissipating.

She didn't answer, instead stumbled forward at an attempt to try and walk out, Luffy quickly grabbed ahold of one of her arms to try and steady her when she snatched her arm away as if his touch physically hurt her, but the motion was much too big and she ended up stumbling and falling to the floor in a sitting position, legs out in front of her, slightly bent and her hands beside her knees, trying to hold herself up.

She then felt the familiar warm drip of blood running down her nose, she quickly wiped it, leaving it smeared.

"I don't feel good," she rasped out, she felt the world spinning, her chest and throat starting to burn as nausea washed over her when she turned quickly around on all fours now and lurched over, vomiting all over the floor, the action sapping all the energy out of her body and collapsing completely to the ground, her head felt like it was being ripped apart, she rolled into a ball as she held her head in her hands, screeches of pain slipping from her mouth.

"Is-is that blood?" Usopp squeaked out in horror, what she had just let out looked like blood, pooling on the floor in an almost black puddle.

They then alarmingly saw the girl starting to go in and out of invisibility, as if she was continuously being turned off and on, the image of her making it seem as if she were just an illusion going in and out, as if her life were flickering right before their eyes, the position she was in and the excruciating look on her face that seemed like was a mix of both emotional and physical, made her look as if she was a scared little girl, lost in the pain of her own body.

"Chopper! Help!" Luffy shouted in desperation, thinking that she may disappear into thin air, now kneeling beside the girl.

Amethyst felt the world spin and she let herself go, no longer holding on and felt the void rushing up to meet her before she was met with the familiar darkness.

 _She sat inside a stark white room, staring into nothing when she heard that voice._

 _'You're in danger, Amethyst.'_

 _Amethyst looked around but didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say or do exactly, she felt a kind of emptiness in her that was hindering from feeling any sort of will to speak._

 _'If things keep going this way you will not survive.'_

 _She felt something inside her break and her blank face crumbled immediately, body slumping over and she cried._

 _"Please..." She whimpered out, her voice trembling with raw pain, she wasn't quite sure what she was using that word for... what context... but it felt like that was all she knew what to say at that moment._

 _'You have to make them remember, that is the only way to save yourself from death, Amethyst.'_

 _She slammed her fist against the floor in frustration. "But I can't actually tell him who I am?"_

 _'That is correct.'_

 _She felt herself shaking at the simple response, in anger? In despair? She didn't exactly know. "But I have to make him remember? Or else.."_

 _'...or else you're going to die and the ones around you will suffer greatly.'_

 _"What the fuck kind of deal is that?!" She shouted helplessly, scratching at the stark white floor in confused frustration._

 _She waited for a response and when none came she slumped in on herself, frustrated tension dissipating and let out a breath of exhaustion, tears were falling freely as she felt the loneliness sinking in, the sadness and helplessness, she didn't know what to do, didn't know how she could help her situation, so she thought of the only thing she could do..._

 _Beg._

 _"Please help me, I-I don't think I can do it alone," she whimpered out in desperation._

 _'The price for our intervention may not be one you can handle.'_

 _She shook her head in determination, ignoring the foreboding voice, she's already given up so much and been through so many trials. "Whatever it is I can take it as long as nobody's life is at stake."_

 _'I see, you will suffer much as the days go on.'_

 _"So, are you going to help me?" She questioned into the void but no response came. "Please... please answer me, please help me... please," She begged pathetically._

 _No response came to soothe her._

 _So she cried._

 _She cried as she sat alone in this white room surrounded by a voice she couldn't see, with memories that no one remembered and life quickly diminishing._


	17. Chapter 17: Brother of Mine

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing obviously._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 17**

* * *

Amethyst woke up rather easily, no grogginess or pain but she did still have a tight feeling in her chest but it was more annoying than painful.

She looked up at the ceiling not knowing what to do at this point... she was dying, that much was clear, what she would do from this point on was the real challenge. How she could stop it? She wasn't sure, but she knew for sure that she would try, she wasn't going to give up and die no matter how much she felt like it would be better off, especially without everyone remembering her, that may seem selfish but she didn't care anymore, she wanted to be genuinely happy again. She wanted her memories with everyone to continue without this huge change getting in the way and rendering her to basically a stranger. She didn't want to be the only one with these memories that she now carries alone.

Taking a deep breath with a new sense of determination she got up and her face felt a bit heavy, shadowed and sweaty... realising her mask was on her face, her head covered in a very familiar hat, Luffy's Strawhat to be exact, she was surprised to say the least, he never let anyone have his hat. She fingered at the mask, feeling to make sure it was what she thought it was and not actually some kind of medicine that Chopper gave her.

Gently, almost ghostly she grabbed the hat off of her head, making sure not to crumple it or somehow with her luck completely obliterate it. She held it in front of her and analysed it, fiddling with the small frayed pieces of straw that stuck out before placing it back on top of her head.

She shrugged off the confusion and suspicion, if they wanted her to wear the mask then there must be a reason, as for the hat... she wasn't so sure about that part but kept it as they left it.

Getting up slowly, making sure to take it carefully just in case she was met with a wash of nausea suddenly. She put some weight on one leg, pressing her toes firmly to the ground, scrunching her eyes up in expectation but nothing came and she let out a small breath of relief, now standing up completely, testing her weight on both legs, nodding in satisfaction at the little to no pain.

Looking down at herself she realised she was wearing an over-sized knit jumper and a pair of her usual shorts, she smelt like her usual scent mixed with berries and roses so she guessed that one of the girls bathed her, would that mean she was out for a while? She wasn't sure.

She tied her hair up in a high ponytail and re-adjusted the mask to make it more comfortable, feeling oddly comfortable having it on rather than off. Gathering up her courage she wiped her clammy hands against the bed sheet and walked out of the room only to stop abruptly as she got outside of the room anxiety blanketing over her immediately and decided to be a little underhanded, turning invisible so no one would see her and she could try and gage the mood before running full speed ahead.

She walked outside to the deck and looked around seeing everyone in their normal places and if she didn't know them any better they would've looked completely normal. But she could feel the tense air, the slight shadows on their faces, their true feelings hiding beneath their skin looking about ready to burst. She looked around further trying to look for Luffy, she wanted to apologise for what she did.

Taking a few steps she looked down at her bare feet as she walked at the way her toes pressed into the wooden deck and the way the bruises and scars seemed to be oh so normal and so familiar where she felt without them would be weirder, her mind was drifting trying to keep away the nerves by focusing on anything and everything else.

* * *

 _"Ammy, come on, pay attention to me, I'm sorry," Ace whined in a very un-Ace like fashion._

 _She continued to read her book, taking a vindictive pleasure in seeing him squirm and beg for her attention. It was his fault, after all, she had woken up and went to look for him only to find out he went out of the ship to 'entertain' himself and some other girls he had taken a keen interest in showing himself off to._

 _"Come ooooon, it was Thatch's idea." He could tell he was sinking fast and threw his fellow crewmate to the sharks. "I didn't even want to hang out with them!"_

 _She huffed, finally looking at him as she put her book down. "You could've said no or not followed him, I mean you do enough of ignoring to know how to do it by now," She hissed in annoyance, aggravated at the fact he couldn't just be upfront about wanting to have fun with those girls._

 _Ace saw that she was getting serious and found himself becoming serious as well. "Why are you so mad? It's not like it should matter to you."_

 _She was glaring at him now. "Then why the hell do you keep acting like you did something wrong by making all these excuses?! if it doesn't even matter why should you apologise!?" she half-shouted at him, she wasn't sure why she felt so angry herself but with every excuse and word that came out of his mouth, she became increasingly pissed off._

 _"Because you're so fucking clingy! You expect me to be there for you all the time and its fucking suffocating," He couldn't help the anger that was suddenly exploding out of him, he was so annoyed that they were even arguing and all his pent up frustration broke through. "So I wanted some fun with civilised fucking girls who speak like girls, who wear dresses and-and," He was trying to find more things to let out his emotions and looked over her once, his eye-catching something that worried and ticked him off even more. "AND actual shoes so that their feet don't end up looking bruised and battered, who take care of themselves and actually entertain me instead of expecting me to entertain them, a real fucking woman!"_

 _Silence._

 _Ace felt the rage quickly leave him as fast as it came once he saw her eyes widen all the emotions crossing her face, shock, pain, sorrow... fear. Her expression then crumbled, tears pricking in her eyes, blurring the once clear lilac irises with tears until she blinked them back settling into a blank slate, no sadness, no anger, just nothing at all. He quickly jumped into action moving towards her only to stop immediately as he saw her flinch away from him._

 _"Wait- Ammy, please don't be scared of me," He felt himself panicking, his chest tightening at the thought of her reverting because he was an idiot and said all that stupid shit to her._

 _She only looked at him, watching him closely to see what his next move would be._

 _"I like you."_

 _That broke her blank expression immediately and she almost gaped at him, not expecting the sudden statement._

 _"I like everything about you, from your golden hair to your pale aurora eyes," He took a chance at moving closer to her, smiling a bit when she showed no indication of moving away. "I love the way they light up with every normal thing that interests you or the way you look at me with them as if I'm worthy of being looked at like that, I like your hands that are soft and delicate and show no sign that you've been through what you've been through." He grabbed her hands gently, smiling reassuringly when she tried to pull away. "I like your lips, the way they lift into the most beautiful and pure smile I've ever seen, I like everything and anything to do with you." He looked down and grinned, poking at her feet. "Even your bruised and battered feet."_

 _She pulled away from him. "I'm sorry..." she trailed off biting her lip. "I didn't mean to be clingy," she whispered out, looking at him with true remorse that made him feel like an even bigger asshole._

 _"Don't..." He sighed out, laying his hand on her head and smiling slightly. "Don't apologise, I like being there for you and having you lean on me, you aren't even clingy I just said that to hurt you. I don't give a fuck about those girls, I only care about you," he explained, feeling like punching himself as he sounded even worse, saying it out loud that he was trying to hurt her feelings._

 _"So, I'm not a burden?"_

 _"Not in the slightest."_

 _"Okay."_

 _"Okay? That's it? what about my confession?" He asked incredulously at how easily she both let go and breezed past the entire situation._

 _Her eyes lit up and she smiled, knocking the air out of him with the simple action. "I like you too flame-brain, you're my closest friend," she said genuinely._

 _Ace's shoulders slumped at the innocent and oblivious response before sighing, ruffling her hair. "Thanks..."_

* * *

She smiled at the sudden memory when she realised she had reached the head of the ship and saw her little brother, but his face was full of such negative emotion that she almost did a double take, not knowing if she was seeing him right or if her own emotions were projecting a false image.

Getting closer, she sat next to him, seeing his eyes were slightly red and puffy, indicating he had been crying, she felt even worse. She dropped her invisibility, taking the hat off of her head and pushing it onto his head and saw Luffy look to her in surprise, freezing as his eyes landed on her.

"I'm so sorry Lu, I didn't mean to get so angry... I just-" She was cut off by a pair of arms wrapping tightly around her waist.

"You're okay!" He shouted into her shoulder, where his head was buried, she felt the spot getting increasingly damp.

"Of course I'm okay," She responded a bit confused, did he really think she wasn't going to be okay?

He shook his head quickly, the movement spreading the dampness of his tears. "B-but Chopper said you were going to die! He said you lost too much blood and we d-didn't h-have your blood type because it was special and d-different," He blubbered and if she wasn't an expert at understanding Luffy she would've completely gotten lost in translation.

Amethyst wound her arms around him, rubbing his back soothingly, letting him let out his emotions into her shoulder. "I'm okay Lu, I'm not going to die, I promise."

She felt him calm down and unwound himself from the girl, but still staying close to her, not quite convinced she wasn't going to disappear before his eyes. "Robin and Zoro talked to me and the others about how it wasn't nice to take your necklace," he said ashamed.

"Did they?" She replied biting back a smile at his expression of shame, urging him to go on.

He nodded thoughtfully, wiping his face of the remaining wetness. "They said your necklace was like my hat, so it's like your treasure and we shouldn't touch it unless you say we can," he declared, taking his hat off and holding it against his chest as if it were very dear to him, which it was, that much was clear to everyone that knew him.

Amethyst nodded in understanding, thanking Robin and Zoro in her head for talking to them for her and covering the truth.

"You know, Nami is sorry for the things she said," Luffy stated, looking her in the eyes, not wanting any of the people he cares about to have bad blood between them, hoping he can get them to reconcile.

Amethyst looked at him and smiled a little, ruffling his hair. "I know, it was my fault anyways, I shouldn't have overreacted."

They both then heard an alarming screech from inside the ship.

"SHE'S GONE!" They heard Chopper cry in disbelief and anguish.

Luffy stood up, stretching out his hand for her to grab, which she took without hesitation, letting him pull her up.

Amethyst took a deep breath. "Guess I have to reveal myself, huh?" She spoke rhetorically with amusement and nervousness.

She jumped up, climbing on the railing and back to the deck, seeing none of them occupying the deck, she guessed they all rushed inside when Chopper screamed. She followed the distinct commotion, Luffy shadowing behind her, she could tell he was trying not to stray too far away, she must've really scared him.

They followed the shouts and noises that were inevitably the rest of the crew trying to figure out where the girl had gone, no doubt thinking she may have just disappeared into thin air.

Turning a corner and she found herself now in front of the door, looking inside at the less than calm group inside, crossing her arms, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly in amusement and she scoffed lightly, gaining the attention of all that was in the room.

"You know," she started, now leaning against the door frame in a relaxed almost lazy manner. "For people who were just berating me before, you all look kinda worried." Amusement lined in her voice as she looked at them, no trace of true resentment in her words.

Instead of responding they all seemed to stay quiet, no response whatsoever, but Amethyst could already make out the guilt on most of their faces except for Robin and Zoro who were both more relieved.

"Oh come on, you all had lots to say before, what happened? Did you really think I was going to die?" Amethyst teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit by joking around.

Chopper was the first to break from his frozen state, he walked slowly towards her almost cautiously, circling her and checking her out, eyes travelling up and down, touching her gently now and then and when he seemed satisfied he stopped in front of her.

Amethyst crouched down to the small doctors' height and poked him in the forehead. "You done with my inspection? So, what do you think? 3 months to live?"

Instead of a reply, she was tackled into a sitting position, Chopper hugging her tightly around the waist sobbing loudly into her stomach, creating a rather large and uncomfortable wet patch to which she ignored, instead opting to run soothing circles on his back.

"Y-you were DYING! I-I was so scared!" He blubbered incoherently. "I don't u-understand how you're alive b-but I'm glad you are!"

Amethyst rolled her eyes playfully. "Would people stop killing me off so easily? I've been through worse than that, trust me when I say this," she said now looking at all of them, indicating that she was directing this to all of them. "I promise, I'm NEVER going to die, not anytime soon, I have too many people I care about and too many things I need to do to die from something like that."

Everyone seemed to want to say something but couldn't as if the words were stuck in their throats.

"There's no need for words or apologies or any of that useless shit, I don't need that, let's just move on, okay?" Amethyst wanted everyone to stop acting like they were too scared to say something in case it sent her into another spiral, one she wouldn't come back from despite her previous words telling them not to worry.

She stood up, patting Chopper on the head tenderly once he got himself together and moved away from her. She looked towards one person, face blank and unreadable, as she stared at the orange-haired girl waiting for something she knew was bound to come out.

"I'm sorry!" Nami blurted out in a hurry, a flurry of tears falling from her eyes as the words left her mouth, guilty sobs wracked her body as she blubbered incoherent apologies and relief, much like Chopper but harder to understand.

Amethyst held up a hand which silenced Nami, making her wait for what she was going to do next. She walked up to the navigator until she was right in front of her, staring blankly, silently, for a few deafening moments before placing both hands on Nami's shoulders and pulling the still crying girl gently towards her in a gentle embrace not too tight but making sure her presence was there, comforting her and reassuring her that she held no ill-will towards the girl.

"I know, Nami, you were only looking out for the crew, secrets among family isn't something to take lightly." Amethyst pushed away from her a bit, looking at her, a serious expression on her face. "You don't have to apologise, okay?"

Nami felt that familiar thrum of energy shoot through her body at the touch from the girl, reminding her of the first time she threw doubt at her.

Nami wiped her eyes, looking towards the ground, still ashamed and whispered a small 'Thank you...'

Amethyst walked back to her spot beside Luffy who was grinning his usual grin, happy that Amethyst wasn't mad at anyone and that things seemed to be able to get back to how they were.

"I'm sorry too," Zoro said suddenly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

She tilted her head a bit, confused as to why exactly _he_ was apologising. "What? Why?"

He pointed towards her neck, a serious look back on his face. "For _that_ ," he said seriously and they all seemed to direct their attention towards the bandage with a pale pink blossoming stain on the right side of it, indicating the small injury he had given her.

Amethyst let out a sound of understanding before laughing a bit. "You really don't need to apologise, I walked into it... literally," she laughed out, shaking her head at him. "Plus," She took off the bandage much to Choppers disdain and smiled. "It's already healed."

She then remembered something.

"The mask," She mentioned, pointing at her half-covered face, drawing the subject away from the tenseness of the previous altercations. "Why is it on me? I don't mind if you guys are mad and want me to wear it again or something bu-" She was cut off by a shout of indignation by Luffy.

"No! It's nothing like that," he insisted firmly.

Amethyst smiled, pinching his cheek a little then looking back at the others. "Then why?"

"Luffy's brother is here."

Amethyst felt her entire body freeze. Robin and Zoro noticed as she started to panic, body shaking slightly as she stared at them with helplessness, eyes wide and unseeing.

"His name is Sabo," Robin said quickly, successfully calming down the masked girl before she had a panic attack.

Amethyst let out a breath of relief that went unnoticed by most of the crew. "Where is he? I didn't sense anyone," she inquired curiously.

Everyone seemed to suddenly get really awkward, all avoiding eye contact. Amethyst felt her interest piqued, looking at all of them suspiciously. "What? What is it?"

"He went out..." Luffy said then, she could hear a bit of sadness in his voice, confusing her even more.

"Um... okay?" Amethyst dragged out in confusion. As she recognised they weren't exactly rushing to give her a response, she got annoyed. "Guys spill it already, none of you are even trying to be subtle that something happened."

Usopp then started to say something when she held a hand up. "Not you Usopp, I want the truth, not a lie."

"He went out to get flowers for you because Chopper said you were going to die," Zoro blurted out bluntly, gaining many shouts and hits from Sanji, Nami and Chopper.

"But I see that I really didn't need to, did I?" An unfamiliar voice said from behind Amethyst, causing her to make a jerky wrist movement causing, said person, to go flying across the room, into one of the walls, landing not so gracefully on the ground.

"Am! What the hell?!" Luffy shouted, running towards who Amethyst recognised to be Sabo, she had seen him only once before at Dressrosa, when he and Luffy reunited with each other.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," Amethyst said, panicking, she made another hand gesture and Sabo was lifted into the air.

"What are you doing Amethyst? He could be injured put him down!" Chopper said seriously.

She was inwardly (and outwardly) panicking, she then just dropped him midair a loud thump resounding throughout the entire room.

"AMETHYST!" Everyone shouted.

"I'm sorry! I panicked!" She shouted to defend herself.

Sabo chuckled lightly under his breath as he got back on his feet, barely hurt, maybe a bit bruised but not bad. "Well, I know now that I shouldn't come up from behind you," he said in amusement.

She scratched the back of her head nervously. "Yeah... I don't like when people are behind me, sorry."

He walked closer to her, making her shift uncomfortably, unconsciously squinting her eyes, breathing quickening a bit she analysed his every movement, she kept reminding herself that he was Luffy's brother and she shouldn't do anything rash.

Robin was looking at Amethyst the entire time, something felt off with her, she could tell by her body language but watched to see what would happen.

Amethyst felt like everything was going in slow motion, feeling herself cower inwardly, her eyes snapped to his left hand as he removed his glove, lifting his now bare hand and like clockwork she scrunched her eyes closed and looked away, waiting for what she thought was inevitable, she clenched her hands into fists reminding herself that 'He's Luffy's brother, I should control myself.'

But instead she felt a hand on her arm, she opened her eyes looking down at the hand, eyes travelling up the arm to see Luffy looking at her with confused and worried eyes. "Are you still in pain, what's wrong? You're shaking," He questioned worriedly.

She didn't answer, glancing quickly at the blonde stranger in front of her and saw his hand sticking out in what she realised was a very non-violent stance.

Sabo seemed to understand the reaction but at the same time didn't. "I'm not going to hurt you, Amethyst," he said reassuringly, gesturing her to shake his hand.

She gingerly slid her hand inside of his and he almost gasped as he felt a strange warm energy shoot through his body that left him almost breathless.

"I... I'm sorry for acting strangely, I thought..." Amethyst stumbled over her words, being in front of someone she barely knew was frightening, she had only either been alone or with the Whitebeards and the Straw hats she never had to directly be around someone she wasn't comfortable with for a long period of time... that is, well... not since... a while ago.

'Why?' He wanted to ask, why exactly did she think he would harm her? Why didn't she like people behind her? Why was she so on edge with him even though he knew how strong she was so even if he were someone that would hurt her... he couldn't. Why did he feel the way he did when he touched her hand. Who exactly was she? What were her origins? What was her purpose? Why his brother? Why did she seem so... mysterious?

There were just so many questions he wanted to ask her, to question her, to interrogate her but he knew she was trusted in this crew, especially by Luffy so instead, for now...

"That's quite alright, I'm only here to visit my little brother," he said, changing the subject reluctantly and ruffling the boys head, causing a string of chuckles to fall from his mouth.

He then remembered something, walking out of the room momentarily.

"Saboooo? Where'd ya go?" Luffy whined lightly.

Not before long, he shows up again, hands behind his back, before walking in front of Amethyst once again and sticking out his hands towards her, noticing the small flinch he received from her.

"Oh?!"

Amethyst looked at what he held out to her, analysing it before looking back up at the man feeling slight confusion and suspicion at his intentions but none the less she took it from his hands, looking at them intensely, she pinched at the soft foliage and swiftly hugged them close to her heart, cheek pressing against the delicate gift as if it were very precious to her.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, peering up at him with tears in her eyes.

Sabo's eyes widened in surprise along with everyone else in the room except for Robin and Zoro.

Robin then finally understood the meaning behind the tattoo but also speculated the origins of the scar. She smiled fondly at the description she used.

* * *

 _"Well, it reminds me of someone who I see as a representation of something seemingly dangerous but in reality, they're beautiful, passionate and full of life and joy that they give to everyone around them and even though they may disagree, they're also delicate and need to be taken care of."_

 _She remembered seeing that small smile on the pale-eyed girls face the warmth that constantly surrounded her spreading as she spoke with fleeting happiness that seemed almost childlike but passionate at the same time but she also didn't miss the sadness laced in it._

 _"Sounds like an amazing person," she responded, wanting to see what kind of reaction she would get._

 _As she thought, her expression only brightened, eyes glazing over in an almost dreamlike state, voice dripping in a sort of bliss but behind it an emotion of torment that was barely noticeable as she spoke again. "You have no idea."_

* * *

She now understood who she was talking about, which only furthered her admiration towards the girl, she thought her description as fitting, but oh, how sad she felt for her as she couldn't imagine just how much pain she was in because of her own emotions towards _him._

"You don't have to cry!" Sabo exclaimed, flustered at the sudden tears, previous thoughts temporarily fleeing his head. "Robin told me that they were your favourite, so when I was told you were going to die, you know..." he trailed off awkwardly.

Amethyst smiled at him, tears now wiped dry. "You don't have to explain yourself, I understand and I'm grateful... they're beautiful I always did love _Fire Lilies_ if I were to die..." She pinched the frowning Captains face at her insinuating her own death, reassuring him that she was just speaking hypothetically. "I would like these flowers on my grave along with this necklace," she stated, placing the flowers a little lower to reveal the 'cursed' necklace that started the entire mess that was today.

"You must be hungry Amethyst, you've been unconscious for a while now, I've already made the food, I'll set the table," Sanji spoke in a steady voice, walking out of the room.

Amethyst pushed the flowers towards her face momentarily this time, taking in the scent, it smelled sweet, sickly so, it was a familiar scent yet this time it wasn't laced with that metallic pungent scent that she was also very familiar with.

* * *

 _"EMERALD RUN!"_

 _She snapped her head to the side and in a split second-_

* * *

"Am!"

She snapped out of her daze and looked at the owner of the voice.

"Yeah, what's up?" She asked nonchalantly.

She watched as he reached his hand up to her face, his expression of worry only worsening. "Why are you crying again? Are you okay?"

She felt him wipe away tears she didn't realise had fallen, grabbing his hand away from her face she squeezed it reassuringly.

"I'm fine Lu, these flowers just made me feel a bit sentimental, that's all."

He tilted his head. "Sentimental?"

"Yeah, it reminded me of somebody that cared about me," she replied smoothly, pushing the memory to the back of her mind momentarily.

"Foods is set!" a shout was heard from across the ship, everyone seemed to file out quickly except for Sabo, Amethyst and Luffy.

Amethyst looked at Luffy questioningly when he did nothing but stare at her expectantly. "You wanna race?" She suggested playfully, turning invisible when he quickly grabbed her by the arm and she dropped the ability.

He gave her a look of fear that shocked her. "Don't disappear!" He said in a voice of desperation, a shot of pain seemed to push through her chest at the expression on his face.

She didn't know what to say, nodding her head numbly. "O-okay, I won't go invisible anymore."

He looked at her with a hardened expression a while longer before he grinned again as if what just happened a few moments ago... hadn't, bouncing out of the room enthusiastically.

"He cares a lot about you," Sabo said suddenly, reminding her that he was still in the room.

"He cares about all of us," she replied definitively, looking him in the eye, she knew he had many questions, she could see it, clear as day.

Sabo smiled down at her, shaking his head a bit. "It's different, I think he has a soft spot for you," he responded making her raise an eyebrow.

"If you're implying that he likes me more than-" She was swiftly cut off by his laughter that resounded throughout the room.

"No, no, I don't think that. I don't think Luffy is even capable of feeling or understanding that kind of emotion yet," Sabo responded in amusement.

"Are you going to eat?" She questioned, clearing her throat, trying to change the subject as she was feeling quite uncomfortable at his insinuations.

"No, I ate when I went out," he replied, smiling down at her. "You?"

She shook her head, looking away from him. "I don't have an appetite, just wanna relax, I'm pretty exhausted."

He nodded in understanding, peering at her curiously as silence seemed to take over the room.

She sighed, looking back at him, "You think too loudly." Laughter twinkling in her voice.

He snapped out of his stupor and looked at her in confusion.

"Do you wanna talk?" She suggested, still smiling, catching him off guard slightly. He thought she would be more inclined to stay away from him and he'd have to instigate a conversation.

"You could tell, huh?" He said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head, a wry smile on his face.

She laughed a bit, he felt a warmth surround her as she laughed at him, he had to pinch himself so that he wouldn't get caught up in it. "You made it pretty obvious... we can go out on the deck if you want or to my room," she suggested.

"The deck will do," he replied, having to hold back how flustered he felt at her mentioning her room, 'Did she have no sense of security?' He thought to himself.

She nodded, walking out of the room, him following closely behind her, she didn't know quite what to think about him, with Luffy and Ace, they were similar in a sense, reckless, carefree, full of an unstoppable amount of energy and always up for an adventure, Sabo seemed a lot... calmer.

"So..." He said, snapping her out of her thoughts, realising they had reached the deck.

"Yes?"

He laughed, leaning on the railing, looking down at the ocean below. "Weird, I can't think of anything to say..."

"Well, what are you curious about?"

"Oh," he said looking at her with interest shining in his eyes. "Everything about you Amethyst."

Amethyst looked away from him, the look in his eyes making her feel burdened.

"Firstly, your name? I'm sure it's not just Amethyst, right?"

She let out a steady breath. "Amethyst Lilith Leila Malach."

She watched his reaction and saw him sigh in indifference. "Well that's unexpected," he said almost disappointed at the answer.

"How so?"

He let out a small chuckle. "I thought you might be a D."

She let out a sound of understanding, nodding at the assumption. "Like Luffy and Ace," she remarked.

"You know Ace?" Sabo asked in surprise.

She shook her head, looking away from his prying eyes. "I know of him... I wouldn't say I know him personally though," she let out smoothly.

"Ah, I see..." He nodded at the response. "Why did you join Luffy's crew?" Sabo questioned, analysing her every movement for a sign of... something, anything to indicate something more about her than she was letting on.

She rested her chin in the palm of her hand, leaning against the railing, looking out into the horizon. "I was lonely," she said simply, not really knowing how else to explain it.

"You didn't have a family?" He questioned softly, trying not to come off pushy. "Anyone that you were with before Luffy?"

He watched as her mind seemed to drift away from the conversation slightly, her slender fingers fiddling with the necklace unconsciously, tenderly as if she were imagining whatever connected her to the necklace. He could tell it was sentimental to her, curious as to what was inside the small bottle dangling from the thin string being caressed between two red beads that felt oddly... familiar to him.

"You... could say that," she let out vaguely.

"You didn't get along with them?" He questioned at the vague response that he got.

"No, nothing like that... they were everything I never knew that I needed."

This only furthered his confusion. "Then why didn't you stay with them?"

He watched as she fiddled with her fingers, trying to figure out how to explain it to him. "I wanted to but... we were separated," she explained, not lying but not telling the entire truth. "And after two years of being alone, I met Luffy." She smiled softly at the memory. "And he's been helping me fill the void that they left," she finished.

Sabo looked down at the girl in awe, he could already tell she was being genuine, her feelings towards Luffy were pure and full of admiration and gratitude, he felt stupid for suspecting she wasn't a good person.

He let out a sigh of relief that made her look at him, he looked straight back, grinning at her. "I feel kind of stupid now," he said, embarrassment clear on his face.

She tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, admittedly I thought you were going to do something underhanded to my brother."

Amethyst nodded slowly at that, looking away from him, turning so that she was now leaning her back on the railing. "I don't blame you." He looked at her in surprise. "I'm not the most open or the most well-known person in the world, so coming to that conclusion isn't surprising," she agreed.

"I trust you now, I obviously have more questions but..." She looked at him and saw him staring out at the ocean with an almost serene smile on his face. "Knowing that you care and love my brother, I know you won't take him for granted and you'll protect him, that's all I really needed to know if ever you want to reveal who you are _really._ " He looked at her, a smile still plastered on his face. "Then you can do that on your own time and I'd be open to hearing it," he finished tenderly.

She wasn't as shocked as she would've been years ago, hearing someone say something like that, she realised that in this life and in this world there are people who are like this... full of acceptance and kindness beyond one's imagination.

"I appreciate that thank you," She acknowledged with the utmost thankfulness for his understanding nature.

"Do you mind if I ask you one more thing?" He questioned carefully, to which she nodded immediately.

"Why the mask?"

She giggled at that, catching him slightly off guard at the unrestrained and fleeting sound. "I'm really not sure," she answered honestly, giggles turning into loud laughter at the almost if not completely ridiculous answer.

He looked at her with an intense curiosity and still sprinkle of suspicion but in that moment of confusion, all he could do was laugh along with her.


	18. Chapter 18: Better Left Unsaid

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing obviously._**

xXx

Saviour

 **Chapter 18.**

* * *

"So how long are you planning on staying, Sabo?" Robin questioned, causing everyone at the table to stop eating and look at him.

Sabo almost choked at the sudden attention turned towards him and scratched the back of his head with a wry smile. "I'm not sure, this is the first time Dragon has allowed me a break," he responded, clearing his throat.

"That's it!" Luffy shouted suddenly, slamming his cup on the table, startling a couple of the crew there, scolding him. "You're joining my crew!" He said in determination.

"No." Came the simple answer from the blonde causing the young captain to pout at him, both expecting that answer and yet hoping he wouldn't get the same answer.

"Whyyyy nooooot?" He whined loudly, causing some of the crew to scowl in irritation at his overly-loud and obnoxious voice surrounding the room.

"Stop bothering him Lu, he already said no," Amethyst cut in with amusement and a light reprimanding tone, though not all seriously considering the warm smile on her face, she thought he was more cute than annoying, which seemed to be a mystery for the rest of the crew who didn't know what must've hit her in the head for her to be so outwardly affectionate and doting of their 'air-headed' captain.

"Fine," He said with a sigh, going back to feeding his black hole.

"What the hell?" Sabo's jaw seemed to hit the floor at the seemingly innocent if not normal exchange between the two. "How did you do that?" Sabo questioned in awe, in disbelief of how she could get him to give up on something just like that, usually, it took hours of pestering for him to give up on something like that for it only to come back up five minutes later, this happening since they were kids.

The girl tilted her head cutely, blinking owlishly at him. "What do you mean? Do what?" She responded in genuine confusion at the sudden insinuation, causing the rest of the crew to sigh in indignation at her obliviousness towards her effect on Luffy which was quite palpable.

Nami patted him on the shoulder. "Don't ask, we've already given up on figuring their relationship out," she let out in exasperation.

Sabo only nodded at that, habitually slapping a prying rubber hand from stealing his food, expression and voice darkening suddenly, causing everyone except Amethyst to look at him. "Still trying to steal my food Luffy?"

Luffy suddenly froze, looking up at his older brother in slow motion, most of the crew confused at his reaction, he looked as if he had made a grave mistake, sweat running down his face, quickly snatching his hand away from his older brothers plate. Sabo smiled with an almost sadistic amusement at the captain, watching as he started to steal from everyone else except for him and Amethyst.

"What the hell? How'd _you_ manage to do that?" Chopper screeched in disbelief, everyone but Amethyst looking at him for answers.

Sabo smirked at them, putting a finger to his lips. "Secret," He said, winking at them.

"Not another one," A group of them collectively said in exasperation, glancing between the two people sitting near the end of the table who seemed to have Luffy more figured out than they did. One being more understandable as it was his brother... the other? Well, that was a mystery they'd given up on a while ago.

"You blackmailed him when you guys were young, right?" Amethyst piped in, still avoiding eye-contact, concentrating on eating her food and slipping some of it onto Luffy's plate like it was second-nature.

Sabo almost fell off his chair, looking at the girl in shock. "How did you know?"

* * *

 _"It was only one piece!" She shouted between fits of laughter as the person's fingers attacked ferociously against her sides, unrelenting and merciless._

 _"Stop stealing my food woman! I told you, you would get punished if you did it again!" The criminal shouted, still attacking at the girls' sides and stomach, pinning her between the table and the wall so she couldn't escape taking a sadistic and vindictive pleasure in the way he could make her fall victim to his touch._

 _"Ace!" She shouted breathlessly, tears pricking in her eyes as she struggled to get away. "P-please I'm sorry I won't do it again!"_

 _His movements stopped immediately and he moved away from her a bit, watching her place her hand to her chest, holding it there almost dramatically, trying to catch her breath. Her face was flushed the reddening blush mingling deliciously with her caramel complexion and her glittering gold hair splayed all over her face, her bottom lip sticking out enticingly, a noticeable pout on her face as she glared at him half-heartedly, lavender eyes sparkling with animation._

 _He couldn't say anything at that moment, in his head all he could think of was how beautiful she looked, leaving him to bask in her beauty that left him breathless._

 _Her face was flushed in both exhaustion from the attack and embarrassment, she unconsciously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, catching his piercing gaze with her own bashful one. "Why are you looking at me like that?"_

 _Ace didn't answer only continuing to gaze at her with a warm smile on his face._

 _She blinked a couple of times feeling her throat tightening nervously the longer she met his gaze before looking away from him, burdened by the intensity in his eyes, she didn't understand what it was but it made her chest throb weirdly. "You know," she rasped, clearing her throat as it cracked slightly. "I'm probably going to keep stealing food from you."_

 _She expected another attack but instead was greeted with laughter that made the hair on the back of her neck rise, goosebumps sprinkling across her arms at the sound that always lifted her spirits. "If only you were like Luffy," he teased softly._

 _She finally locked eyes with him, his gaze no longer holding the intensity it did before and peered at him curiously. "Hm?" She inquired, pushing him to explain what he meant by that._

 _"When Luffy and I were younger, I would have to fend him off from stealing my food," he explained with childlike amusement as he thought back to those times. "Eventually I got sick of it and threatened to take away his food if he kept stealing, he didn't think I was being serious at first but he got the picture in the end and stopped."_

 _Her lighthearted laughter rang through the empty room at the small peak through his memories, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, looking at him with amusement glittering in her eyes. "I'd like to meet him one day."_

 _He reached out to her and naturally, almost instinctively ran his hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face and tucking it behind her, brushing his thumb tenderly against the apple of her cheek, feeling the smoothness of her soft skin. "I'm sure he'd like you."_

 _And there it was again, her chest throbbing weirdly._

 _"Ace..." She breathed his name and he felt his own chest tightening at the sound of his name on her tongue, he hummed in response waiting for her to go on._

 _Getting shy again, she leaned forward, placing her head against his bare chest and listening to the sound of his heart as it drummed along with her own racing one, tracing small patterns on his torso, liking the way his muscles would ripple beneath her finger, oblivious to her very obvious effect on him. "You make me feel... weird," she let out softly, her breath fanning across his chest and making him inhale sharply, chanting in his head to calm down. Her fingers were doing little to help his inner turmoil. He was well aware what he wanted to do he was a man after all and he had desires and she was, since he met her, his biggest temptation but he would never go there unless she initiated it._

 _He leaned his chin on top of her head, taking in her honeydew vanilla scent that set his senses on fire. "And what does it make you want to do?" He pushed lightly, seeing if she would act on the feelings he knew she had for him, he didn't know how deep they were or if they were genuine and not just gratefulness for him but knowing he had an effect on her much like she had one on him filled him with a sort of possessive pleasure he knew he had to keep in check._

 _"I...I don't know, I don't understand it."_

 _He sighed a bit at that before smiling warmly, pressing his lips tenderly to her forehead, whispering as his lips brushed against it ever so gently. "Don't worry about it, Ammy, you'll figure it out."_

* * *

The girl only peered up at the blonde for a millisecond with a small knowing smile on her face then looking away from him, not responding to his question and going back to eating her food which was much more important to her at that moment.

"You told her didn't you Luffy!" Sabo shouted in half-hearted betrayal, looking at the startled captain who seemed just as surprised as he was. He flailed around nervously, alarmed at the fact she knew about it without having told her anything much about his past.

"No! I swear I didn't!"

Sabo stared at him longer then let out a sigh. "You were never good at lying so I guess you're telling the truth."

Robin who guessed how she would've known the childhood secret of theirs giggled behind her hand causing everyone to now look at her in both surprise and suspicion, but she held no expression that would give away her own knowledge. She looked at Zoro who seemed to have the smallest unnoticeable smirk on his face to which she guessed he had come to the same conclusion as hers.

"By the way, where's Usopp?" Brook questioned suddenly, shifting everyone's focus on that. Everyone then realised that they hadn't seen him in a while.

Sabo chortled at their sudden realisation. "Wow, you guys _just_ noticed?"

"Oh, he'll be here soon enough," Amethyst reassured, everyone turned to look at her, seeing a sinister smile spread across her face, a dark foreboding spread over the room as they watched her face contort disturbingly into a demented expression, knowing exactly what that meant and praying for Usopp's mental sanity.

"What did you do?" Zoro questioned suspiciously, eye narrowing at the smile she held but got no response from her knowing they would know exactly what was in the works in just a few seconds.

...

And like clockwork a very unmanly screech was heard from across the ship, turbulent and quick paced footsteps heard coming closer and closer.

"GHOOOOOOOOOOOOST!" Usopp shrieked in terror causing Brook and Chopper to then freak out in a chain reaction, he came bounding into the room and right behind him were floating objects, even more, alarming they were on fire, seems like more of a danger hazard than something to be terrified of.

"Knock it off Amethyst, they've had enough," Nami spoke seriously, though seemingly trying to hide her own laughter.

Amethyst put her hands up in mock surrender and the fire was instantly distinguished, objects dropping to the floor with loud 'thuds'.

"NOT FUNNY AMETHYST! I COULD'VE DIED!" Usopp screamed in fury, still shaking like a leaf.

"Oh come on Usopp, I would never let that happen," She responded in amusement. "Peed your pants? Yeah. But died? No."

"Not cool Amethyst!" Chopper shouted, in agreement with Usopp, Brook seemed to laugh it off rather than feel offended by the harmless prank, though he did feel the need to hold his chest as if his non-existent heart would pop out at any moment.

"That was s-so fu-funny!" Luffy said in between his fits of laughter, rolling on the floor next to his older brother who was surprisingly doing about as well as his little brother in that apartment, both of them seemed to find it very amusing.

"I'm glad you appreciate such a masterpiece," Amethyst said bowing mockingly towards the two brothers who were now wiping the tears out of their eyes, now calming down.

"Oh, it's on Amethyst," Usopp then said, now standing on the table, one hand on his hip and the other pointing accusingly at her. "I was the number one prankster for 60 consecutive years where I'm from, be ready for my wrath!"

Amethyst smiled, feigning fear as she looked at him. "Oh no, how will I compete with such a renowned prank master?"

Usopp put a hand out in front of her face, looking away from her. "No, it's too late for regrets, You've started this prank war, now I shall finish it," he recited dramatically, Chopper clapping in awe of Usopp, screeching compliments.

"I guess we'll just have to see," she replied in a maniacal voice that sent shivers down all of their backs, she then grinned at all of them before walking out, winking at Usopp before disappearing through the door frame.

'Scary' they all collectively thought.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Amethyst popped her head back inside the room, smiling innocently. "Anyone wanna help me train?"

"Uh oh, not again," Franky snorted out. Everyone in the room seemed to look away from the girl except for Luffy who shot his hand up, enthusiastically. "Me! I'll help Am! Sabo, you should help too, it'll be like old times."

Sabo chose to ignore the body language of everyone there and nodded in agreement, he was curious about her abilities so why not?

* * *

Ouch. Was all he could think as the girl was thrown unceremoniously to the ground for what seemed like the hundredth time that hour.

"Am! I don't like this!" Luffy shouted with a pout plastered on his face, upset that he was being forced to do this to her, he hated this training session, this kind of training wasn't what he wanted to do with her, much preferring their usual training together.

Amethyst pushed herself back up, looking at him with determination, a small scratch on her forehead. "Come on Lu, I can't always rely on my abilities in battle, I have to be able to fend for myself without them as well or else there's no point."

Everyone who was watching seemed to look at the girl surprised, not expecting an answer like that, she seemed pretty attached to her abilities.

"You can't just hide behind your powers or your weapon because one day you may not have that," she said breathlessly, wiping the dribble of blood that trailed its way down her forehead. "You can't protect anything with that kind of reliant mentality."

"You sound like you know that from experience," Zoro piped in suddenly, giving her a look of intense curiosity.

Amethyst looked right back at him with the same intensity but looked away quickly after so no one could see her expression of torment that was always hidden beneath the surface.

"Yeah, well... I did have an entire life before you guys."

"Why do I have to do it though? I don't wanna hurt you!" Luffy whined, kicking a fuss that he had agreed to this, he didn't expect the training to be like this, usually, she would be training her abilities, not all the physical training she's doing now.

"Because you're the strongest here," she answered which seemed to cause an uproar with some of the other members of the crew not taking kindly to the bias.

"I would like to object to that," Usopp announced, face clearing reading that he was offended by her statement. "I, Usopp, the great warrior of the sea, am the strongest in this crew."

Amethyst now no longer interested in the sparring match, having lost her initial mojo, sat down, cross-legged, peering at him with lazy amusement. "Oh yeah? And how would you like to prove this fact, Great Warrior of the Sea?" She challenged, sarcasm dripping from her voice, everyone's complaining sucking any trace of the energy she had before.

"We will make a bet!" Usopp roared dramatically, fist in the air, Chopper and Luffy cheering him on. Amethyst sighed, standing up, stretching cockily as if this were a mere annoyance in her day, laughing mockingly at his expression of determination.

"And the rules of this bet? I'll give you a leg up and you can make the rules," she said, walking up to him.

"Okay! So rule one is you can't use any of your abilities," he declared triumphantly.

"Of course," she agreed easily.

He seemed a bit taken aback at the ease of her agreement but cleared his throat and continued. "In order to win we have to land a hit on the other person, skin to skin, whether it be by fist or foot."

She nodded, telling him to continue.

"Well, I guess that's it," he said, scratching the back of his head, not really planning too much.

"Well, it is a bet so what does the winner get?" She inquired, reminding him of the initial bet.

"Ah! Right! Well anything, if you win... though unlikely," he said, whispering the last two words cockily to himself. "What would you like?"

She thought to herself for a second on what she would like from him, she thought about his skills to see what she would be able to get out of him. "Hmm... you have to go help me out with my pranks whenever I ask, your slingshot ammo would be very ideal to my plans, you wouldn't be safe from my plans just because you're helping me out though... of course," she said, winking at him.

Usopp gulped nervously at the implications but shook it off quickly, scoffing. "Yeah well, _when_ , I win," he let out, putting emphasis on the 'when' as he thought about it carefully, still feeling his pride hurt by her prank before.

"You have to be my **_slave_** for the day!"

...

A pin seemed to drop as everything came to a stand-still, the air becoming suddenly stale and cold, the silence deafening.

Amethyst felt a switch in her flip, a trigger in her mind being pulled, her entire body froze, eyes widening as she automatically took a step back from him, she hadn't heard that word in such a long time. Usopp who was right in front of her felt immense confusion at the horrified look on her face, it shocked him silent as he saw the pure fear and terror in her expression.

They could all see her expression as they watched her slowly back away from all of them.

"Sis?" Franky questioned softly, confusion taking over all of them at her sudden reaction, not quite sure if her reaction was genuine or another kind of obscure prank.

Before any of them could register it her pale violet eyes looked as if an ocean had been encased inside of small glass marbles, they were screaming fear and in a split second, the smooth spheres appeared to be cracked. The ocean had started to leak, little currents streaming down her cheeks as she looked back and forth between all of them. All she could feel in that moment was fear and unbearable betrayal, her mind wasn't registering anything right, her mind, much like her heart, going a mile a minute and before anyone else could question what was wrong she turned heel and ran. She got to the edge of the ship and quick as lightning before anyone could register her movements, she was standing on top of the railing of the ship, one slight movement and she'd fall off it.

"Amethyst! What are you doing?!" Sabo shouted, he didn't understand what was going on, he didn't know the girl all that well but from the frantic and alarmed expressions of everyone else, they were about as in the loop as he was.

She didn't look back at them, she felt numb and drained and oh so tired. "I... I'm never going back to that again." She turned her head to look at all of them and they all felt dread run through their bodies as they saw her expression, it was as if the life had drained out of her eyes leaving nothing but two stagnant eyes staring back at them.

She turned back around, closing her eyes and leaned forward, feeling the air rush against her face.

"NO!" A scream resounded and before her feet could leave the railing, something wrapped around her waist, pulling her back rapidly until her back hit a firm surface.

Panic set inside of her and as loud as she could she screamed bloody murder, crying hysterically at the feeling of entrapment, struggling with all her might to get out of her restraints.

She felt a head leaning on her shoulder and that's when she registered that the restraints around her waist were a pair of arms, the surface she was pressed against was the chest of a person, this realisation only made her struggle more. "LET ME GO!" She screamed in a voice similar to that of a wounded animal or someone fearing their life, heart-wrenching sobs leaving her mouth.

"It's okay, Am!" She heard the perpetrator shout into her neck, it was then that she felt the wetness dripping down her shoulder. "You're okay, nothing is going to happen to you, I promise!"

They all watched in horror, Nami had her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes at the sudden tantrum of the girl, the rest were looking on in shock and speechlessness, eyes wide and unseeing as if they were still trying to understand what was happening. They watched as her eyes seemed to find life, recognition flooding back into them, her struggling coming to a minimum.

Amethyst felt herself calming as she finally registered her surroundings, the person holding her together at that moment. "Lu..." she whispered out, voice cracking as she finally calmed down.

She felt his arms tighten almost painfully, around her waist. Her entire body lost the will to stay standing and she collapsed to the ground, Luffy going down with her, still holding tightly. She numbly put her hand to her face, covering her ashamed eyes from the sight of everyone else, biting her lip.

"I-I can't... I can't do this..." she choked out, and small sobs of pain wracked her body, tears falling fast as she felt the overwhelming dam of emotion she had been holding crack.

"You can!" Luffy murmured into her shoulder, he didn't understand what was happening and he didn't know what she was talking about but he just wanted her to be okay. "I'm here, we all are... you can do it!"

But Amethyst refused to listen, sobbing loudly, shaking her head vehemently, scratching at her face and chest trying to search for something in her that she just couldn't find, ripping her mask off in the process. "No no! I can't, I can't, I can't!" her tortured wails were the only sound that could be heard as the deck fell silent everyone's hearts aching at the pure display of tortured sorrow.

A few minutes had passed, no one knew what to say or do, but Robin... she finally knew the answer to the question she wanted to be answered and the immense sadness she felt for the girl was overwhelming, she looked around to see if anyone else seemed to catch the clue to the girls past.

"Am, are you okay?" Luffy whispered out into the now silence.

There was no response from the girl when a small sound came out of her mouth, unexpected and fleeting.

She was laughing.

The sound bubbling out of her as the tears fell, she looked frighteningly out of her mind as she laughed and cried, gripping onto her head as if she were trying to hold her mind together as it started to fall apart.

"I've completely lost it... I thought." She punched the ground in frustration, the eerie laughing face she had before falling instantly into a blank stare. "I thought I was okay... but," she looked at her hands, blood dripping from her face into her hands. "I guess not... ha, I guess she did tell me- warn me that I was going to suffer."

"Talk to us Am!" Luffy said firmly, now letting go of her, moving so he was now sitting cross-legged in front of her. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

Everyone seemed to go closer to the girl, sitting in front and around her to try to offer some comfort but not touching her, scared that a single touch could send her over the edge. Amethyst didn't know what to say either, she was in shock almost, she had only come to the realisation that she was forcing herself to fit into this routine only to realis her piece of the puzzle didn't belong. Her nerves over the past few days finally bubbling and bursting forth.

"Were you perhaps..." Robin started cautiously. "A slave, Amethyst?"

Inhaling sharply at the word, Amethyst felt her nails bite into her thighs as she grasped them tightly at that _damn_ word she despised. She gnawed at her lip, she felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but this wasn't about them remembering, this was just about her past and ultimately about her having to think about it. She never really had to talk about what she went through as a slave, all she ever did was say 'I was a slave' and show a couple of scars and vaguely explain some of the things she went through but it was always on her own time, never was she confronted for it.

"I... yeah," she replied breathlessly, covering her face with her hand to try cover up the embarrassment and disgust she felt, her past was a secret, not even Ace knew about _all_ of it, he never asked and she never felt the need to talk about it much.

"I was born a slave to the Celestial Dragons." She cringed at the thought, taking a deep breath in before continuing. "...And was one up until a few days before my eighteenth birthday." She took a deep breath, hating the lack of response, looking up to see their expressions and saw what she expected, the shock, regret, horror, anger, disgust. Her shame was encapsulating her and she was convincing herself that it was all directed at her, **she** was shocking, **she** was regretful, **she** was horrifying, **she** was angering, **she** was disgusting.

"You were born a slave? W-what do you mean?" Nami questioned softly, unable to hide her shock or her curiosity.

"Exactly how it sounds, my mom was a slave and she gave birth to me while she was a slave and I became one too," She replied numbly, she felt oddly numb at this point as if her fit of emotion completely drained every ounce of feeling she had.

"Wait, but that story about your parents not letting you out of the house and being abusive?" Chopper asked, confused by the new information they were all getting.

Amethyst looked away from them. "I lied... sort of."

"What do you mean sort of, Amethyst?" Luffy asked firmly. "No more lying."

"I was a mistake," Amethyst responded, disgust and sorrow dripping from her voice. "I was a disgusting mistake that should've never been born and I wish..." she stopped talking feeling overwhelmed again. "I wish I was never born because I thought I could get over what I've been through but I can't because it's too hard to talk about and too hard to hide."

When she saw some of them go to say something, she lifted her hand to stop them.

"My father is-"

As she was about to let that crucial yet cruel piece of information out her back started to itch, she reached behind her and felt her back tenderly when she felt something slick, she brought her hand back to look at it and was shocked to see her entire hand covered in crimson red.

All of a sudden she felt a searing pain shoot through her back and she lurched forward, letting out a yelp of pain.

"What the hell?!" Zoro exclaimed, looking at the blood that was soaking her white singlet, he couldn't sense or see anyone so he didn't think they were being attacked. The sudden confession of her origin was left to the back of their minds as they tried to figure out what was going on with the girl now.

A guttural scream left her mouth and she grabbed ahold of Luffy's shoulders, kneeling in front of him, trying to steady herself, he held onto her wrists confused as to why she was acting like this until he saw the blood dripping down her legs.

"Chopper!" He shouted in desperation, Sabo quickly grabbed a hold of the girl and lifted her in his arms, careful to not touch her back too much.

Chopper shot up instantly and they all ran inside the ship, turning a corner and straight inside of the doctors quarters. Sabo lay her gently on the bed, laying her on her stomach.

Amethyst gripped the sheets tightly, knuckles whitening at the intense pressure, she was biting into the pillow as she screamed into it. She had a feeling she knew what was happening and felt her self-hatred strengthen at the thought of having to relive with what she thought she had erased with everything else that disappeared, it was like everything she wanted to come back wouldn't and everything she wanted to stay erased came back, it was ironic and cruel suffering.

"Amethyst, I'm going to have to cut your top off," Chopper declared urgently, warning her before doing so, he saw her nod slowly and grabbed a pair of scissors, quickly but carefully cutting through the thin fabric as he finally snipped the last bit he opened the two pieces, revealing her back.

"Oh my god..." Was all she heard as the room seemed to fall silent, she was sure that it was Nami who said it but her senses seemed to be clouded over by pain and she wasn't focusing on what their reactions were.

"I know... they're back... aren't they?" Amethyst hissed through gritted teeth. "The words and wounds are back... aren't they?"

"What? how did you know..?" Franky remarked, voicing all of there surprise that she knew what was on her back without seeing it. "So you know that it says-"

"Yes! I know what it says, I wouldn't like to be reminded," She remarked quickly, cutting off any unnecessary voicing of the scars she had hoped she had rid of for good, but of course the emotional and mental scarring never left so why should she have any physical comfort? She moved a bit to get more comfortable and winced at the movement.

"But how do you know that, Amethyst?" Brook questioned, covering his eyes (though he didn't have any) with his hands as Chopper quickly started to clean her back up.

"I got these wounds a while ago, while I was a slave." She winced slightly as she felt antiseptic being poured on her wounds, mumbling a quiet curse under breath. "They disappeared out of nowhere a couple of years ago and the two crescent scars that you guys already know about appeared in their place."

"That honestly makes no sense whatsoever," Sabo commented in immense confusion, this seemed to be a common occurrence with her, answering questions only to leave them with more questions.

"A lot of things in this world don't make sense, it makes sense about as much as an oceanic cursed fruit that gives you powers," She responded logically, the pain in her back starting to subside, turning numb and stinging slightly.

"She's not wrong about that," Robin spoke in acknowledgement.

"Well, still... sorta hard to comprehend," Sanji said in confusion. "This is what they did to you?"

Amethyst laughed humourlessly into the pillow. "This isn't even the half of it and I want to explain, I do... but," she trailed off.

"This is why isn't it?" Robin questioned, having put two and two together. "I think I understand."

Everyone except for Chopper who was working on Amethysts back seemed to turn their attention towards the archaeologist.

"You aren't supposed to tell us about yourself... are you?" Robin inquired quizzically. "It makes sense, every time you sort of tried to tell us something or were confronted about information, something bad happened to you."

Amethyst pushed herself up, much to the dismay of a lot of the crew, she turned into a sitting position, legs dangling off the side of the bed, facing away from everyone there so that her chest wasn't showing as she took off the rest of the torn fabric that was left of her singlet.

"Yeah..." she breathed out. "I get punished every time I tell you guys more than I'm supposed to... I don't know how it works all that well myself, me telling you this might even be more than I'm supposed to tell you guys." Amethyst turned her head a bit to the side so that she was looking at them. "I know it's hard to understand but if it wasn't already obvious, I'm not like you guys, I'm abnormal... I'm not sure I'm even human and I'm in a position where the more I say, the closer I get to..." she trailed off, looking forward and away from them again, she didn't want to say it, saying it out loud would only make all of this even more real, that she was going through all this suffering like the voice said, that she was dying, that she may not have enough time to make them remember her before... its too late.

"Closer to what Amethyst?" Usopp asked they were all curious as to what this girl had to say.

She stayed quiet for a little longer, letting Chopper wrap her entire torso and chest with bandages when he was done patching up her wounds to the best of his ability, she turned on the bed, lifting her legs on top of the bed until she was in a comfortable position where her back didn't sting or bother her as much.

"Danger, the more damaging it'll be for me and for you guys and I don't want that."

A silence of disbelief seemed to spread throughout the room as if they were trying to understand her words but how could you? It was so hard to believe, her very existence and explanations were incomprehensible.

"I... I think I speak for all of us when I say we don't exactly know what to say to that Amethyst," Nami remarked in all honesty.

Amethyst shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face, humourless laughter spilling quietly out of her mouth, she leaned forward, putting her face in her hands, ignoring the protests from Chopper and the pain that rippled through her body as her wounds were tempted by her position.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore, I wanna tell you guys everything but... I can't." She looked up at them and they all saw unbridled fear and despair in her eyes and now knowing the information they do know about her past, her next few words were all the more heartbreaking. "I don't want to be alone again."

For once, they felt that they understood, they still knew so little but they now understood and at that moment as they all surrounded the fragile girl who was barely holding herself together, they wished that they knew more and yet less of the girl than they did before.


End file.
